For a student body that prides itself on liberal activism, social justice and sticking it to the man whenever possible, it never ceases to amaze me that AU students so often forget to look out for themselves. Sure, students were up in arms over the expense account abuses of Ladnergate, but then those were hard to miss. Call me old-fashioned or even thin-skinned, but it is the little things that AU does to nickel-and-dime students over their four years here that really drive me nuts.
When I first got back on campus this year, I noticed the new washers and dryers that use less energy and water and save students some detergent. Great, but if they are that much more efficient, then I bet that they save the university a significant amount of money, so why was it necessary to pass along the cost of the new machines to students by increasing the price of a load? Or maybe that extra quarter goes to paying for the electronic notification system that sends e-mails to students to alert them when their laundry is finished. Thanks, but for an extra quarter, I will just look at my watch.
And how do students pay for laundry? With EagleBuck$. Yes, I know that they are convenient when one does not want to carry cash, but I hate the idea of forking over $300 at the beginning of each semester just so AU can tell me where to spend my money while earning interest on it. And if one is not going to spend $300 in EagleBuck$ on food and laundry in one semester, then the best thing to do is to use them to buy the overpriced books at the bookstore. Of course, it would be cheaper to buy those books online, but just try going into Student Accounts and asking them for cash in exchange for EagleBuck$. Let me know what they say.
Of course, EagleBuck$ are not all bad. One can, after all, go to the Eagle's Nest and buy overpriced, organic knock-offs with them. I will admit that I never understood the fair trade push or the attraction to Pura Vida because paying more for something than it is actually worth goes against every economic bone in my body, but coffee is one thing. Organic Pop-Tarts and detergent are quite another. Is the Eagle's Nest really that environmentally and socially conscious or does stocking more expensive products when students have no other on-campus alternative simply allow them to expand their profit margins? I wonder.
But not to worry, freshmen who do not want to buy organic food at the Eagle's Nest, because next year all sophomores who live on campus will be required to purchase meal plans. Admittedly, most of this year's sophomores who live on campus have meal plans - I happen to be just fine with my 150 swipes - but does the administration really believe that forcing students who are industrious enough to cook for themselves for less than it costs to purchase a meal plan will reduce the number of fire alarms in the Southside dorms? I doubt it. To me, it sounds like a thinly veiled attempt to squeeze a few more dollars out of students who were doing just fine on their own.
Are these few examples inconsequential in the great scheme of things? Maybe, but nevertheless, I think that they represent a latent lack of respect for students. Consider the three-day National Conference on Organized Resistance. Was it really necessary to hold it in the Mary Graydon Center? I did not even know the conference was on campus last year because it was unobtrusively held in the Ward Circle Building, but this year it was such an in-your-face inconvenience that frat boys started running around with cans of Lysol. The administration should have realized that holding such a conference in the student union building would anger students. They probably did, but then what is a little inconvenience to students when there is money for the administration in it? I certainly hope that NCOR did pay through the nose to occupy that space, although I have no illusions that the administration would ever pass along the benefit to students.
I think that lots of students wish that their Student Government would do a better job keeping an eye on the administration and watching out for students' best interests, but then I never even got one of the BE Campaign t-shirts, so I will not hold my breath.
Jonathan D. McPike is a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences and is The Eagle's politically moderate columnist.
