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NEWS
November 8, 2012
Commons’ receipt progam halts stealing
Now that The Commons requires students to purchase their food before getting it, stealing has stopped almost entirely Kelsey Thomas Staff Writer thomask15@up.edu Six months ago, a Commons burrito bowl or burger making its way into the mouth of a hungry student without ever being purchased was commonplace. However, since Bon Appétit began requiring students to turn in their receipt as proof of payment before receiving their meal, virtually all stealing in The Commons has ceased and Bon Appétit Director Kirk Mustain said they are saving $5,000 dollars a week. Mustain said he is pleased at the stamped receipts’ effectiveness. They will be a permanent feature in The Commons. Mustain said occasionally some smaller items are still swiped, but rarely full meals. “There’s still some small petty stuff going on but it’s not as rampant as it was for sure,” Mustain said. “I think the patterns have changed.” Mustain said that receiving full payment in The Commons has allowed them to not raise
prices in over a year despite rising food prices nationally. He also said it allows the staff to put money back into the food and try some different menu options. “When we’re not watching [the food] walk out the door, we’ve been able to spend more time on it,” Mustain said. This year, stuffed pizza and calzones were added to The Commons menu. The global and carve stations have also been offering new dishes. The stamped-receipt measure also saves Mustain, Commons staff and Public Safety from having to watch for students who get their food and then head in the opposite direction of the registers. “I don’t want to be the food police and figure out who paid for it and who didn’t,” Mustain said. “I want to go make great food.” Mustain said he arrived at the figure of $5,000 by comparing sales and amount of food brought in to previous statistics. According to Mustain, since requiring students to have their receipt stamped, Bon Appétit’s sales have remained consistent
but they are bringing in $5,000 less food to prepare and sell. Although Bon Appétit now receives full payment for food, silverware and dishes are still finding their way into students’ bags at the dish drop. Mustain said he spends $20,000 a year on dishes and silverware. “It’s the whole ‘I just took one’ thing,” Mustain said. “Yeah, you and 1,800 other people. All of the sudden 2,000 forks are out the door.” In spite of the runaway forks, Mustain Stephanie Matusiefsky | THE BEACON said he hopes to Commons worker Gwen Johnson stamps a student’s receipt before serving conserve Bon Appétit’s breakfast. Since The Commons started making sure students pay, they are resources and hopefully saving about $5,000 a week. not increase prices. different options available.” consuming a burger and fries, So far, students like Also, students hope the paid for in full. the results of less stealing, as The Commons has even more options. reduced stealing helps to keep “I really like that global is prices where they are. “I certainly hope prices always different,” freshman Jill Maples said. “I feel like [The don’t go up,” freshman Matthew said, contentedly commons] always has a lot of Horton
Investigation: Fair Trade club asks students to think before shopping Continued from page 2 disheartening to some students. Kelsey Robison, president of UP’s Fair Trade Club, has not had a positive impression of Forever 21 since she heard of unethical practices carried out by them in the past. “They do a lot of donations to charity, but that doesn’t make them a good company.” Robison said, “Just because you put ‘John 3:16’ on the bottom of your bag, that doesn’t mean you’re living ethically.” The Fair Trade Club aims to raise awareness of fair trade options, and calls people to consider where the products they buy are coming from. While the fair trade movement has been around for half a century, it is still not very well known.
“I hadn’t heard about the Forever 21 issues at all, so I feel like if word doesn’t get out it won’t affect [their business],” sophomore Bronwyn Jones said. “And they have such cheap clothes, it’s not just a business that people can easily be like, ‘oh whatever, not going to shop their anymore.’”
“Just because you put ‘John 3:16’ on the bottom of your bag, that doesn’t mean you’re living ethically.” Kelsey Robison Junior Jones said the thought of an American company mistreating their workers this way was unexpected and ridiculous.
“You don’t remember to think about fair trade unless companies go out of their way to specify that it’s happening,” Jones said. Robison, a junior, said the best way to do guilt-free shopping is to research companies before you buy their products, or to look for a fair trade logo on the products, which guarantees ethical production of all goods. The most common fair trade logo, known as “bucket boy,” can be identified as a black and white silhouette of a person carrying two buckets. “Although, fair trade products are more expensive, when you look at a free trade product, you’re not necessarily seeing the whole price,” Robison said, “There are a lot of negative things going into the production of free trade items.”
Portland Gay Men’s Chorus performs at UP On Nov. 14, the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus (PGMC) will bring a big sound to a little room. UP’s Gay Straight Partnership (GSP) will host next week’s Espresso UP featuring PGMC at 6:30 in St. Mary’s. PGMC, which was founded in 1980, has about 150 members, although not all of the members will sing at the concert. GSP president Kirsten Rivera said having the chorus come to UP is an exciting opportunity. “It’s a very prominent organization in the Portland area and a very prominent organization in the LGBT community,” Rivera said. Rivera first got in contact with the group after seeing them perform at a gay fair in
Pioneer Courthouse Square. She was impressed by their performance. “It’s a very big sound,” Rivera said. “Because they’re all men, they can produce a lot of sound. It was really a fantastic performance.” This is the second musical group GSP has brought to campus. Last year, GSP hosted another Espresso UP night featuring Elevation, a band from the Metropolitan Community Church of Portland. Rivera said students loved the concert. “We got really wonderful reviews from students who wanted to hear more from the community,” Rivera said. - Philip Ellefson
The UP Public Safety Report 2
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1. Nov. 1, 1:25 a.m. A neighbor called to report two individuals breaking headlights on the street near the intersection of N. Yale and N. Stanford. The caller was advised to call Portland Police.
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2. Nov. 2, 11:14 p.m. Received a noise complaint about people yelling and in the street at the 6000 block of N. Amherst St. Officers made contact with the residents and they reported there had been an argument but everything was fine now. 3. Nov. 3, 1:32 am. Received a party complaint about a house at the 6700 block of N. Van Houten Ave. Officers made contact with the residents who agreed to shut down the party. 4. Nov.4, 6:51 p.m. A student reported they were being harassed. A report was taken and case remains open.
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5. Nov. 19, 7:24 p.m. A student living off campus reported they were being harassed by neighbors. The student was advised to file a report with Portland Police.