Moving on

Following the announcement that the University will no longer provide cheap storage to students, many have complained about the loss of the service and demanded an alternative. Ultimately, however, Duke was offering a convenience and is under no obligation to make up for its absence in response to this wasted whining.

The loss of summer storage is unfortunate; few can find fault with paying only a few dollars to store anything from computers to clothes over the summer. Furthermore, paying a few dollars to store a box instead of the $39 that College Boxes will charge is an annoyance. But providing cheap storage is by no means an essential service of the University, and subsidizing an outside company would be a misallocation of funds.

Still, the previous storage space will not go to waste. Although some of it will be unusable during dorm renovations, the rest will go toward implementing the residential life plan, which calls for more useful academic space among other things.

Fortunately, Duke has identified two private vendors to help students. As long as administrators ensure the quality of these companies and their accessibility to students, the elimination of summer storage will be no travesty.