Staff Editorial

Students encouraged to raise voices against ASU price increases

By:

Posted: 10/2/09

Price gouging is a staple, not only at ASU, but among universities across the nation. None are immune to the greedy, almost charlatan-like ways of scrounging up an extra nickel here and there.

Whether it be the outrageous price of books, cokes at the UC, or $90 to park, (what is this, New York City?) we've all experienced it. So, why can't ASU be the first to admit this inherent flaw in the university system, denounce the con, and offer affordable books, parking and food?

Unfortunately, we've seen the university go the other way: raising the price of parking permits the same semester tuitions rates were increased, charging $1.30 for a Coke at the UC and the bookstore remaining the quintessential money pit for students.

But it's not entirely the university's fault. They do this because they can get away with it. They sell $90 parking permits and we, the students, buy them. And other than the complaining and scowling we do amongst ourselves, there's no pressure applied for them to change.

The university is here to serve us, the students. Students are not privy to the amount of power they truly have. This is not high school. We do not have a principal. We do not refer to our professors as Mr. or Mrs. followed by the first initial of their last names. We pay to go to school here. We pay to live here. We are, to put it simply, the customer. And the customer is always right.

So if you raise your voices, you will be heard.

However, before students start picketing along Johnson Street, one must appreciate the extraordinary opportunity being posed here.

If the school took matters into its own hands and suddenly went against the grain of universities using education as a façade for striking gold, our small school would become a beacon of light, setting a precedent for other universities to follow.

Students would flock to this ground-breaking institution, credibility would skyrocket, and enrollment and retention would increase so the school would no longer have to count on selling 100 Pepsis a day to make a buck.

Those few students who currently refuse to buy a parking permit, shop at the bookstore or grab a snack at the UC would be more inclined to do so. The university fails to realize convenience has us sold; it's the price that drives some away.

Of course, if ASU refuses to change, then we must help it along with our voices, and our wallets. Let us make the few the many.

For those returning next semester, don't purchase books at the university bookstore. Buy them through Amazon or at the off-campus bookstore. Stop eating at the UC; play your pool and ping-pong then go munch down at the cafeteria where it's a $5 buffet. And for those in dire need of some cardiovascular exercise, start riding a bike to school, or do it the old-fashioned way and walk.

With a little persistence, we can cause change. So let us do so by standing up for what we believe is right, and in the words of Michael McDonald, "Take it to the streets."