Oct. 26, 2015
Alexander Nedd
[email protected]
I hate paying for things.
College students don’t need an economics degree to understand that we do not make enough to live a comfortable lifestyle.
Many items are overpriced for no reason: cell phones, laptops, apartments, houses and even food. How does anyone get by?
One frequent offender of rising costs hits close to, well, school. Yes, UCCS, that means you.
Students may think their time is what they spend most on campus, but your wallet might disagree with you.
We are constantly shaken down at the hands of the bookstore, coffee shops and parking.
Does UCCS not realize we are college students on shoestring budgets?
My parents have always used the term “back in my day,” to mark the contrast between now and their childhood. While I am not quite their age, I have been around the block enough to notice prices have inflated over a short period of time.
There are a number of overpriced items noted at UCCS. This list might seem abstract, but the point is to show university costs if the money was spent elsewhere.
PARKING
PRICED AT UCCS: $10 for all day parking
BACK IN MY DAY (2015):
$10 for four gallons of gas, five gallons of milk or a one-month subscription to Netflix, plus tax.
PRICED AT UCCS: $400 for an all-year parking pass.
BACK IN MY DAY (2015): $400 for a Sony PlayStation 4 or Xbox 1, a three-day, two-night round trip ticket to Las Vegas with airfare (select hotels/airline at shop.lasvegas.com), or three months of cell service through Sprint/Verizon/AT&T (8-10 gigs of data at $120/ month, includes all fees).
FOOD
PRICED AT UCCS: $11.24 for a burger, fries and drink at Clyde’s.
BACK IN MY DAY (2015): $11.24 for two Big Macs (includes two medium fries plus drinks), three pound ground beef and five pound bag of potatoes at Walmart, or one large two-topping pizza plus $2.50 delivery fee from Dominoes.
BOOKS
PRICED AT UCCS: $200-$300 (Return Value at $50)
BACK IN MY DAY (2015): Beats by Dre ($200), 3-6 Six Flags Elitch Gardens general admission tickets ($48.50 each), or 40-60 movie tickets from Carmike Cinemas 10 ($5 tickets with student ID, all new features)
I understand the need for a university to make money in order to provide the daily amenities we take for granted. Electricity, Rec Center equipment and the salaries of our teachers all must be covered in some shape or form, but sometimes I feel I am paying extraordinary prices because it’s convenient.
That shouldn’t be the case.
College kids are just getting by, so give us a break instead of holding us at gunpoint every time we walk up to a cashier with the purchase of a small coffee and a fruit bar.