UPDATED: February 14, 2015, at 12:20 p.m.

Some dining halls will stay open during spring break this year as part of a pilot program funded by the Dean of the College’s Office, Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana said Friday.

The program is modeled after the College’s limited meal plan over winter break, when certain Houses remain open for meals. The College will cover the costs of the expanded options by tightening the budget in other areas, including suspending per diems for athletes during spring break, according to Khurana and College Dean for Administration and Finance Sheila C. Thimba. In particular, Khurana credited Thimba with making the necessary budget modification plans.

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The changes come after Undergraduate Council leaders lobbied for expanded spring break dining options. In spring 2013, the UC formally approved legislation requesting that the College provide such options to students during spring break and later met with Harvard University Dining Services to discuss the issue.

Khurana said his office will evaluate data from the pilot program when deciding whether to expand it.

On Friday, UC President Ava Nasrollahzadeh ’16 and Vice President Dhruv P. Goyal ’16 praised the pilot program as an example of a student advocacy initiative’s success.

Faculty of Arts and Sciences spokesperson Anna Cowenhoven sat in on The Crimson’s interview with Khurana and Thimba.

—Staff writer Noah J. Delwiche can be reached at noah.delwiche@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @ndelwiche.

—Staff writer Ivan B. K. Levingston can be reached at Ivan.Levingston@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @IvanLevingston.