AT ISSUE Can we bear the cost of over-priced goods until we can get better jobs

The Aragon Ballroom was packed on New Years Eve in Chicago as hundreds of people crowded to hear the band Moe perform. Moe amazed me once again as they put on another good show. My only complaint about the night wasn’t about the music, but about the $3 paper cups of water instead. That flimsy paper cup, less than half the size of an Aquafina water bottle, quenched my thirst long enough to stand in line for another ten minutes for another paper cup. I began to think Chicago had a water shortage, which is hard to believe since the city is situated along Lake Michigan.

Regardless, New Years was great. What can be better than spending quality time with friends along with that special someone to share an electric spark with at midnight? After midnight, the first song played was a cover of Grateful Dead’s “Jack Straw.” All of this, combined with Moe’s triple encore made New Years 2002 the best ever.

But that little paper cup still haunts me. How could someone charge a fun-loving customer three-dollars for three gulps of water? That’s one dollar each gulp, which isn’t favorable especially when someone is on a college budget. That tiny paper cup caused me to think of other things that are outrageously over-priced. Take tuition for instance; it increased last year, and it probably will this year too. Another thing highly over-priced in Bowling Green are apartments and houses for rent.

In fact, I can remember looking through realtor listings for two bedroom apartments reasonably close to campus, and being completely overwhelmed by how many different ones there were and how expensive some were. I didn’t think I would ever find an apartment. I didn’t want to spend too much money on an apartment, yet I wanted to live in a nice one. So after looking at several places, we finally decided on a two-bedroom apartment for only $400 a month. It’s a twenty-minute walk to campus, which I like because I really don’t get that much exercise. It’s in the heart of the downtown area – on Main Street, so I don’t have to travel far for something good to eat. My neighbors are friendly, and the landscaping is gorgeous and well kept throughout the summer. I don’t have any complaints about our place.

We moved in our place around the same time some friends moved into their house. There are six people living in their house, and each pay $280 a month. Similarly last summer, another group of friends each paid $275 a month for four people. I give props to the owners who find tenants like these that are willing to sacrifice that much money for so little space. That is simply way too much money to pay to live ten minutes from campus.

The walk to school everyday at my place can be cold in the winter, but I really don’t mind because I like the outdoors. I can deal with walking through snow every day as long as I know I’m getting a great deal on the rent price. And on the weekends, I can walk home in less than five minutes.

But now my roommate and I are faced with a dilemma because I’m moving into a house in Perrysburg next month, and we’re on a mad race to find someone who wants to move into our place. It is difficult to find someone willing to do this, especially since the semester will already be underway. So, like everyone else, we’re posting signs on campus with the hope that someone will be interested.

So why is everything around some students so over-priced? Other than the economy causing some of the trouble, like it usually does, a lot of the problem rests in our own minds. As long as we do well in school, and don’t mess up too much, everything will come together. I might always complain about paying $3 for a little cup of water, but at least it won’t hurt as much.