The coffee in the union is a crime against humanity. It is horrible tasting and it is overpriced. Purchasing a cup of “Douwe Egberts” coffee at the Union Market is akin to paying someone to force-feed you yak bile. You would not be reading this right now if the coffee was cheap and tasted horrid or if it was expensive and tasted good, sadly that is not the case.

?Not that I think we should be surprised that the coffee in the Union Market is over priced and tastes horrible, that seems to be a running theme. I remember a feeling of elation when I heard a rumor that the Union Market was going under new management. Imagine my heart aching disappointment when I stepped up to the grill and saw the same prices on the menu. It was really genius instead of charging us less for the same items they seem to be charging us more for less items. Is it really fair to charge the students almost $3 for a glass of juice? Is that paltry piece of meat really worth $4? Do you really expect me to pay more than $5 for two hot dogs and a soda and not be upset?

?As if the coffee and high prices were not enough, we now get assaulted by some of the worst music ever. My apologies to his fans but, what Kenny G does is a crime against music and the fact that we have to listen to it is even worse. It was a good idea to install a speaker system into the Union Market, however what is being played over those speakers is horrid, it seems to be the worst mix of music from dentist’s offices and bank lobbies. If I have to hear any more easy listening hits from the 70s, 80s, 90s and today, I am going to supply my own mix tape and since I can hear the Union Market’s music over my headphones I’ll be sure to make my music loud enough to be heard over the Union Market’s speakers.

?Let the students run the speaker system or we will hate it. Other colleges have student run radio stations why can we not setup a small one just for the Union Market? I doubt it would be hard to find volunteer DJs for the morning, lunch and evening rushes.

?All these problems are symptoms of a greater illness, the fact that the management of the Union Market does not appear to care about the students. When the new coffee machine was first installed, I wanted to turn a complaint into the suggestion box, but it had been removed. The management needs to realize where their stale, overpriced and undercooked roll is buttered. While we may have to eat there to use our meal plans, I am almost certain that none of us really want to.

?There is a long list of what the Union Market management needs to do to better serve the students. It is not like these are all new problems, it is that some students are becoming unhappy enough to address them. If these problems are not addressed by the management of the Union Market, they will have to be addressed by the students.

?Above all else, offer food at a reasonable price. Coffee should be 50 cents a cup.