Food prices have risen at
Bucks, hitting students’ wallets
hard, but is it a case of
greed, or the ripple effect
from a growing economic
problem?
“I think it’s a bit ridiculous,”
said Samantha
Lipinski, a 20-year-old cinema
video major from Fairless
Hills, as she leaned on the
balcony overlooking the
Tyler courtyard.
But why the high cost?
“I guess they have to make
up for the construction,” said
Scott Anton, a 22-year-old
graphic design major from
Bristol, as he waited in line at
the Chic-fil-a in Newtown.
“Thankfully I am not affected,
because I do not buy the
food.”
So some students feel the
hikes are due to the renovations
and the improvements
going on in the cafeteria.
But in fact the price hikes
have nothing to do with the
renovations, and the food
prices at Bucks are very much
in line with prices at other
area colleges.
In checking with other community
colleges, it was found
that all have fairly similar
pricing plans. Montgomery,
Mercer and Delaware County
Community Colleges all fell
in line with Bucks.
A typical chicken sandwich
on all three of their menus
was around $4.25. This is 50
cents more than the cost of a
chicken sandwich at Bucks,
which sells a similar sandwich
for $3.75.
The entrée meals at these
schools show an even larger
curve in prices. Mercer sells
their entrées, with two sides,
for $4.50, Montgomery has
theirs at $5.50 and Delaware
has their prices set at a staggering
$12.50. In contrast to
Bucks entrées, which cost
around $6, we seem to be in
line with a trend in the local
area’s schools.
“It has to do with the economy,
I understand why they
have the prices set at what
they are,” said Lipinski.
According to a March 9 article
in the Boston Globe, food
prices in the United States
have increased at the fastest
rate since 1990.
This will not be the last of
the price hikes. According to
the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, the price of food
in the U.S. will increase by
another 4 percent by the end
of 2008.
In an interview with the
Centurion last semester,
Greg Tozzi, manager of cafeteria
services, talked about
offering more healthy foods
on the menu but added, “We
would like to move towards
going green by offering
organic options, but the price
is more and students are
already unhappy with the
cost of food.”
So how do students feel
about the increases?
“It affects other schools and
universities the same, but
they have a buffer with meal
plans for their students, we
don’t,” said Lipinski.
How do students deal with
the costs?
If the school doesn’t have a
meal plan, how does the average
Bucks student decide
where to eat? The increasingly
long lines at the local Chicfil-
a speak louder than words.
“For a dollar or two more I
could just get fast food nearby,
and it’s a lot better too,”
said Anton.