At Marquette, all students living in the dorms are required to have a meal plan, but it is also available to all students. In the dining halls, you swipe your card as you enter, so the attendant there knows you have a meal plan and have access to the dining all. With the meal plan, you can swipe into a dining hall whenever you want (while they are open) and have access to everything in them.
However, in the Schroeder Dining Hall, the seating area is also a 24-hour study space. You can either enter one door, get a meal, and then swipe as you enter the seating area, or you can just enter the seating area without going through the serving area. The drink station for this dining hall is in the seating area/24-hour study space. So you can bet your ass I've started doing all of my studying in the dining hall of a sophomore dorm where I have unlimited access you coffee.
Do I feel bad for drinking the dining hall's coffee despite not having a meal plan and therefore not specifically paid for it? Absolutely not. I give Marquette $30,000 a year; they can give me a cup of coffee a few times a week.