Unfortunately, the small amount of time I’ve spent so far on this planet has not granted me much life experience on the subject of Business ethics. However, I have been subjected to one business to which I can’t contain my protest: the cafeteria (caf) at UBC first-year residences (Totem Park and Place Vanier).

We are forced to purchase meal-plans according to our residence contract (http://www.housing.ubc.ca/files/van/pdf/contracts/winter_contract.pdf, section 4).  The cash invested in these plans can only be honoured at the residence caf. This effectively creates a monopoly.

Competition between businesses, for the majority of cases, improves quality (electronics, service industries, etc.). The lack of competition for feeding residence students has allowed the caf to overcharge it’s customers for a low quality product. The employees of the caf (with exceptions of course) provide inferior customer service and meal preparation that would earn dismissal in a competitive business setting. The condition under which the student caf exists allows all this to happen. It is because of the caf that I would not even consider returning to first-year residences next year.

I understand that the caferteria is providing revenue for the university, but the way in which it does so seems hardly ethical.