By AJ Bonilla, Staff Photographer
Most of us spent the better part of three weeks after school started waiting for Sacred Grounds, the cafe and coffee shop on the ground floor of Dugan Library, to open.
When it finally did, I was so happy to get my good ole Sacred Grounds pizza. But I was a whole lot less pleased when I realized after I paid for my pizza that I still had $90 some odd dollars in Sacred Ground bucks. That’s when I realized that off-campus students this year are being charged $100 a semester for Sacred Grounds bucks, up from $75 last year.
A decent chunk of my tuition comes out of pocket, as it probably does for many other students. So the extra $25 that I'm forced to spend here instead of at 7 Brew displeased me greatly. Though agitated, I had a pizza, and honestly could have gotten over it. IS WHAT I THOUGHT.
Imagine the horror, the dismay, the bewilderment and shock on my face when I suddenly learned that, this year, ranch dressing at Sacred Grounds is being withheld behind a 50-cent paywall. Last year, Hidden Valley Ranch packets sat on a country alongside salt, salsa and condiments, and students could grab a packet for free. This year, they’re literally behind a glass wall accessibly only to those who hand over 50 cents.
So let me get this straight. You’re charging me $100 a semester for Sacred Grounds bucks, and now, the ranch costs 50 cents? I like ranch with my pizza and salad with my ranch. I would never have bought the pizza had I known I’d have to pay for something that had always been free.
Just to break down the math: Newman charges students who live off campus $100 a semester for Sacred Grounds bucks. If they dont use the money, they dont get it back. Newman just nets the profit. But if even ONE student didnt use their Sacred Ground bucks (which, lets be honest, there are a lot of people who never even touch the money) Newman could buy 42 16-ounce bottles of ranch.
Instead, Newman increases our tuition, increases the amount of money we’re forced to spend at the cafe, and now we have to pay 50 cents for ranch.
Will the madness ever end?
PHOTO: AJ Bonilla, Staff Photographer
