Every morning on The University of Alabama campus, students witness an abundance of common factors: packed buses, deadlocked traffic, sleep deprived students glued to their iPods and the infamous Starbucks line in the Ferguson Center. That line usually stretches across the front entrance of the Ferg, and even wraps around the help desk or goes out of the door around exam time.
Personally, being a caffeine addict and Starbucks junkie, I understand the craving for the rich taste only Starbucks drinks seem to offer. So like my fellow caffeine-driven students, I was thrilled to hear that the University decided to expand and move Starbucks downstairs. This would cut down the traffic jams on the second floor of the Ferg, because there will be more than one place for students to congregate, and will prevent students from standing in line for 30 minutes or more waiting on a drink that takes less than 10 minutes to make.
Although I was elated about this new addition to the University, I recently read the impending Starbucks is set to be the biggest one in the nation. I have become accustomed to the fact that here at the University, everything is big and extravagant. From our football program to our greek houses, or “palaces” as I call them, bigger is always the way to go; but that does not always equal better.
The University always strives to be the best, but where do we draw the line? As I stated previously, caffeine and I share a close relationship, but I do not want my tuition to fund an outlet that distributes it. I would rather see it go toward parking spots, better dorms and academic purposes — things that are vital and actual problems at the University.
Business expansion is a characteristic of our constantly changing U.S. society, and having corporate vendors like Starbucks is convenient to students and I am sure helps the University financially. Yet, this is probably not needed with tuition rising seven percent and student population reaching a record high. We have crossed the line of excessive.
There are more than 10 cities I can name off the top of my head that are bigger than Tuscaloosa and contain larger populations than our campus, so I see no need for the University to have the biggest Starbucks in the United States. To be clear, I am not against the movement of Starbucks. In fact, I plan to stay a regular customer as long as my wallet allows me. The move downstairs is a great location and is an efficient solution to a common annoyance on campus, but building the biggest in the United States is a clear example of putting want before necessity.
