The Commentator

Attention shoppers: There's a hand in your pocket. Just because it belongs to a familiar pickpocket doesn't mean you should allow yourself to become comfortable with the violation. 

Consider the cost of our daily food purchases at the campus cafeteria and store. A cup of cold cereal costs $1.85. That's nearly as much as a box of cereal should cost. I guess the inflated price represents the cost of the 'cup' that can be used in lieu of a bowl.  A 20 oz. juice runs you $2.25. Accordingly, a breakfast consisting of two cups of cereal and milk, and a glass of juice costs you $6.90 - each day. For cereal and milk. Should you want a single cookie, the price of your breakfast would swell to a robust $8.75.  

A lunch of any substance is going to cost you nearly $10. A $7.40 single serving of fish along with a $1.90 fountain soda is enough for most. If, in addition, you need a salad or frozen yogurt to fill you up, then your lunch meal costs you a daily sum in the $13 range.

Dinner is pricey as well, but I suppose that's to be expected. It might even be justifiable if the servings were larger, or failing that, if the dining room was candlelit, with mirrored walls and sit-down service.

After a long day, famished students file in and pay $11.00 for a meat dish and juice drink.  Still hungry, they'll frequently return for a soup or small serving of sushi, finally satisfied at a cost of $16.75.

Thus, the daily cost of meals for many students is likely in the area of $38.50. Hopefully, one is content with a single serving. If not, there's always a snack available at the Cafeteria Store.

The famed Entenmann's Blueberry Muffins retail at the Cafeteria Store for $3.99 a box. A Paskesz Sour Strawberry Taffy Pop sells for $4.29 a pack. Gold Nut salted cashews costs $3.99 per can.  If a student is in need of a notebook, he can purchase a three-section spiral for $7.99. Need two C batteries? You can have them both for just $3.99. A look at the prices for these products at local New York retailers reveals that these items aren't actually so absurdly priced in our store, but nearly everything appears to be a bit overpriced; some items by more than one dollar. That's significant, and it's a poor lesson in spending for the thousands of us forced to acquaint ourselves with these ridiculous 'norms.'

The fact is, that students are dependent on the cafeteria and its store. Busy with our full-day class schedules, we lack the time to shop for groceries and cook our own meals thrice daily. Obviously, the fundamental principle of economics, "supply and demand" is the driving factor that enables the store to charge these amounts.  We're all waiting for something to ennoble them, to impel them to charge prices that reflect institutional integrity.   

Out of necessity, most students do subscribe to the meal plan. It seems that $1,300 a semester should be enough to cover the perpetually surging cost of the products that we purchase daily. Thus, with all the money credited on a card, Yeshiva employs tactics akin to the casinos; they give students chips and betting cards so they don't have to touch real cash as they incur real debt. Seldom will students take even a cursory glance at the price of an item. Never mind the price. It's all on the card.

Some ways to prepare us for life in the real world:

Very often, the card-swipe happens so quickly that students don't even catch sight of the total purchase price. I don't suppose that the student body has any interest in being handed a receipt for every transaction. But failing that, students should at least be shown clearly how much they are paying, if for no other reason than to be sure they are not being erroneously charged. 

For parents arranging budgets and undertaking personal sacrifices to afford their four oldest children a yeshiva education, the money spent on overpriced food is significant. For students saddled with student loans, each hundred dollar increase in total tuition cost is compounded monthly into much larger sums to be repaid years later, at which time these students will also be handling their utility bills and mortgage payments. 

Taken as a whole, the prices in the cafeteria and its store are outrageous. The yearly price increases are unconscionable. The minor yearly increase in meal card credit is inadequate. When considered in proportion to the substantial tuition hike, as well as the increased food prices, the situation is reprehensible.

Let's see some responsibility from senior management. Let's do a thorough price-check on all the items being sold on campus, and let's make them as affordable as economically possible.

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