"We call our late-night option, 'The Late-Show' and we thought of that name before David Letterman," Orefice says.

Princeton students say they appreciate the late-night service.

"I play soccer so if practice goes late and we miss dinner, I don't miss out on a meal," says Andrea N. Herschman, a first-year at Princeton.

Crimson Crumbs

Harvard dining halls are not as accommodating. After 7:30 p.m. it is impossible to get a meal in any of the houses.

Last year when HDS instituted the Board Plus system, it appeared as a way to create more flexibility. The plan allocated students $50 per semester to purchase food at any of Harvard's nine eateries including Loker Commons and The Greenhouse.

However with Loker cutting down its operating hours this year and with the high cost of food at campus establishments, students still gripe that it's not enough to compensate for all the meals they miss.

"I wish that if I wanted to eat at the off-times they had a place to go," says Robert E. Schlesinger '00.

"I feel like given the amount of money we pay for food, you shouldn't lose the money if you miss a meal. You should be able to eat three times a day at your convenience, not theirs," he says.

Although Board Plus is a new option at Harvard, other schools have similar plans that offer more flexibility for students.

At Yale, if students purchase the 14-meal plan, they also receive $200 worth of "Flex Points," which can be used at local restaurants like the nearby pizzeria Naples and at Au Bon Pain.

"We can't provide the late-night options," says Alan R. Kenney, Yale's director of food services. "Flex Points are a way to solve this problem."

Other colleges have similar plans. Stanford offers students $522 per year in "Cardinal Cash" to be used at 10 on-campus eateries, including a smoothie bar, a sports cafe and a grab-n-go pre-packaged food cafeteria, according to Dianne S. MacDaniels, Stanford's meal plan coordinator.

Brown and Princeton offer point-based systems as well, similar to Stanford and Harvard's Board Plus.

Too Costly?