Executives at the Corp are lobbying the university to extend student meal plans to Vital Vittles, but say that their proposal has failed to gain traction with the administration.

The Corp’s proposal would enable students to purchase pre-packaged sandwiches and salads at its flagship grocery store in Leavey Center in exchange for one meal on their meal plan, Corp Chairman Craig Kessler (SFS ’07) said.

“Students have always demanded a lot from their meal plan,” Kessler said. “We think it’s something the students want.”

Frank Balsamello (COL ’07), the director of Vital Vittles and a member of THE HOYA’s editorial board, said that the university would reimburse the Corp for each meal purchased under the new meal plan.

“If a meal costs $8, the university will give us the money and in return we will use that to buy more meals,” he said. “Most of the cost will go toward buying the food from the vendor and the wages of the staffers working at Vittles.”

Last month, Vittles placed copies of a petition at its cash registers to assess student interest in the proposal. More than 750 students have already signed the petition, Balsamello said.

One of those students, Anna Snelling (COL ’10), said that the trip to O’Donovan Hall, the only on-campus location where students can use meal plans, is often inconvenient.

“I signed the petition because I felt that it would be convenient to be able to pick up lunch on the other side of campus in between my classes,” she said.

Balsamello said that incorporating the meal plan would require Vittles to make only minor changes to its operations, and he hoped the plan would be implemented by the middle of next semester.

“For the most part, we are ready to do this,” he said. “We only have to get some new GOCard readers and become licensed as a restaurant. The paperwork is all filled out.”

Still, Corp executives have made limited progress in negotiating a deal with the university. Although the Corp has been working on the plan for around two years, Balsamello said that he and other members have been unable to contact Margie Bryant, associate vice president for auxiliary services.

Bryant declined comment.

University Spokesman Erik Smulson said that officials will consider the proposal and have not yet made a decision.

“At this time we are still evaluating the issues concerning the use of the meal plan at convenience stores run by the Corp,” Smulson said.

Kessler said that the Corp is optimistic about its negotiations with the university.

“We certainly don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. The Corp has no interest in creating conflict with the university,” Kessler said.

Kessler said that it was too early to set a timetable for the completion of this initiative.

“I cannot really gauge when this will happen,” Kessler said. “As we learn more about it, we will have a better idea.”

The Corp is the largest student-run corporation in the nation and operates several on-campus vendors, including three coffee shops, a snack stand and a movie rental service.