To the Editor:
Peter Napolitano was quoted in yesterday's Dartmouth as saying "We haven't heard students talking to us to tell us to close our doors or cut our services." Well, listen up. If DDS somehow managed to miss the economic message over the last few years, they probably wouldn't have listened to comment cards. Maybe, now that DDS is a million dollars in the hole, its time to be more attentive. Students have spoken clearly through their dining choices, and feigning ignorance makes the DDS management look even more incompetent.
If DDS is in the red, maybe it doesn't belong at the Big Green in its current incarnation. Enforcing a monopoly is not an ethical, reasonable or responsible solution to dining services' self inflicted plight. The quality of the food, the prices, the selection or some other factor must be drawing students away from the campus system. Whatever the cause, Dining Services cannot compete with the local businesses and is not providing the services students desire. Students should not be forced to pay for poor management practices.
The proposed $800 minimum DBA is a quick fix that will not deal with any of the problems of the Dining Services Program. So listen up, Mr. Napolitano, and take lessons from the businesses downtown. Now you've heard students tell you to cut your services, and if you can't make it financially, close your doors. Don't pass the buck.
