Campus food vendors are now enforcing the “no free refills” rule. Vending machine drinks are now $1.25 and the rise in C-Store prices make late night snackers cringe.These are just a few of the ideas University Dining officials discussed developing and implementing to combat the rising costs of food.

A 7.5 percent food price increase across the nation may not seem very high, but it’s enough to make us have to shell out an extra quarter for an ice cream cone at Talley.

Thankfully, students have the support of Randy Lait, the associate director of University Dining and won’t be as hurt by these new prices. Lait explained that some of the price increases cannot be helped, while others are constantly being reviewed and improved upon.

For example: the University signs a contract every five years with either Coke or Pepsi, whichever presents the best deal, and the price becomes fixed for that time period. This year was a renewal year, and Lait signed the contract approving the $.25 increase for drinks in vending machines, and also did away with free drink refills at Talley after learning that the syrup used to mix fountain drinks had doubled.

While this is something beyond Lait’s control, he has taken other measures to make sure we are getting the most out of our meal plans and paying a fair price for the food we buy. He attends food shows where different brands like General Mills and Kraft present deals to bulk purchasers. He spends time with each vendor and haggles over each item to determine the best deals. By doing this and also taking advantage of just-in-time purchases and rebate coupons, Lait saved the University $100,000 last year.

So, we’re saving money in the dining halls. That’s great for all the students who live on campus or actually have time for a sit-down lunch. But for those of us who are always on-the-go, fast food joints or C-stores are our only option. C-stores buys food through a middleman, and prices on nearly everything have increased over the past year. But with these increases comes more hesitation from students to grab those late-night snacks, as Beki Sickler, a junior in chemical engineering and a C-store employee noted. Sickler said during some of her shifts lately, she hasn’t rung up enough to cover the pay for her shift.

If there’s not enough business to warrant having someone man a store, why waste money paying them to sit? One of the prime locations is the Tunnel Inn C-Store. Lait said there were talks years ago about possibly removing the location. However, enough of the Tri-Towers residents complained that walking to the Talley store would be “too far.”

Let’s help Lait the Great save us more money by walking the extra yardage to the Talley C-Store and forgo the plans to renovate the Tunnel Inn by just getting rid of it.

E-mail Jessie your thoughts on dining and C-stores to letters@technicianonline.