Do you drink coffee or tea on a daily basis?  Are you one of the many students who find themselves out of points long before the semester has passed?  Do you like getting your food at a fair price?  If you answered “yes” to any of these, then get angry—the food at Villanova officially costs an arm and a leg AND another leg.  

The prices in most dining facilities on campus have increased this semester and the changes are dramatic.  Last year you could buy that hoagie at 2nd Storey with a meal, but now you have to throw away an additional .34 cents in precious points every time you buy a sandwich.  That tea you need every morning to get through your 8:30 with sanity now costs an extra .50 cents.  The muffins at Holy Grounds are .30 cents more,  the ice coffee is .45 cents more and the list goes on. This adds up over the course of the semester.

When questioned about the recent increases in prices, the Director of Villanova Dining Services Timothy Dietzler replied that the price changes are a result of the egg shortage in America right now.  A bird flu has killed many of the chickens and the price for a dozen of eggs increased by .30 cents last May.  While this flu claim seems to be valid, Villanova students are left to wonder if the price increases will only be temporary.  Will the prices go back down as the bird flu goes away, or will Villanova hope that students just won’t notice?  Let’s not let that happen.  

An additional comment was made on behalf of the coffee and tea price increase, that due to a change in the brewing process to create a superior taste, the prices needed to change.  It’s interesting that no students on campus have been walking around with their coffee and tea exclaiming “I’m so glad I paid .50 extra cents for this!  It’s significantly more delicious!”  Has anyone noticed a change in the taste?  It’s more likely that people have noticed a change in price and are left angry as their points accounts wither away faster than chickens with bird flu.  

If students chose to accept these price changes on campus, especially once the price of eggs returns to normal, then Villanova will feel no inclination to return the prices to normal.  Don’t just buy that Holy Grounds coffee for .45 cents more and sigh at the sight of your points amount—speak up or take a stand.  Get coffee from the dining hall in the morning as part of your meal swipe, or even invest in a keurig and brew some yourself.   With a tuition and meal plan as expensive as they are, it seems absurd to accept the recent inflation in food prices without a fight.  

Instead of just assuming that Villanova students want to pay extra for their caffienated beverages, why wouldn’t dining services survey students to find out?  If no one cared about the “difference in taste” then maybe the University should have considered switching brands in order to meet the financial needs of its students.  If there are ways to keep money in the wallets of students as well as smiles on their faces, those ways should be executed.  These changes will maintain and maybe even continue if students don’t make their opinions known.