Dining Services is `price gouging'

Duke is a true residential University. Approximately 90 percent of students live on campus and most of those students live in dormitories. It is just one aspect that makes this institution a unique, stimulating and fun place to be. Yet our arrangement does come with some drawbacks. One of them is the lack of kitchens, which makes us dependent on campus dining. This would be fine if the University did not decide to inflate prices.

Dining Services and some privatized eateries have raised the price of many food items far beyond the rate of inflation this year. In past years, increases were present but never have there been such a steep increase.

Perhaps the most ridiculous example is the doubling of the price of cornbread at the Pitts. One slice of cornbread went from 50 cents in May to one dollar in September. Corn bread was the staple of the South for decades. The reason: It is incredibly cheap to make. The prices of the ingredients have remained stable in that time period, yet for some reason students are paying 100 percent more for the same product.

Another instance is the dinner from Sitar India Palace restaurant. The addition of the Indian food is a great example of how Dining Services can bring an innovative concept to students. Last fall, the price of a dinner was $4.50. Last spring, it was $4.95. This month, it is $5.75. That is a 10 percent increase from fall to spring and another 15 percent from May to September. Is there a rice shortage I don't know about? Why a 27 percent increase in one year? At the same rate, next year it will be $7.30 per dinner.

But at least the Dining Services-run Pitts is honest with their price increases. Alpine Bagels and Brews does not even bother posting its actual prices. Every bagel-containing product has risen in price since last year. Yet the menu posted at Alpine still reflects last year's prices. It is true that Alpine did not raise prices in its first two years and that adjustments due to inflation should be expected. However, the eatery should make its customers aware that the posted prices are not the actual prices.

Huge price increases are not the only problem. Some items are simply overpriced. Why is a hard boiled egg 50 cents? Retail price for an egg is approximately eight cents. Of course, one must account for the price of cooking, labor, and overhead. But do all those factors raise the price over 500 percent?

The death of kegs on campus is partially attributed to Dining Services and the University's anti-free market policies regarding kegs. To have one keg at an event, an organization must shell out a minimum of $356. Two-hundred forty of those dollars go to hiring University bartenders for a minimum of six man-hours no matter what the needs of the event are. By not allowing an organization to purchase kegs from a third party vendor, the University is allowed to inflate the price of kegs to the point where it is cost prohibitive for an organization to host keg events. The need for a University bartender is reasonable-bartenders must make sure that all applicable North Carolina state laws are followed. However, the mandatory hiring of two bartenders for the required six hours does not give organizations the flexibility it needs to plan both large and small keg events.

Compared to our peer universities, our Dining Services is excellent. They offer students a system that provides quality food in a flexible manner. The privatization experiment allows students to "vote with their DukeCards" when it comes to deciding what types of campus eateries will exist. There are many other campus eateries that have not raised their prices by outrageous amounts and have posted the price changes accordingly. However, students are left to ponder the reasoning behind the ridiculous price increases at the mentioned venues.