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Administration should keep students in mind in its retail space decisions

Written by The Shorthorn Editorial Board

Tuesday, 09 June 2009 04:11 PM

Editorial Roundup

The Issue: The university plans to include retail space in a new residence hall next to the upcoming special events center.

We Suggest: Students should be the university’s priority when deciding what retailers should fill the space.

When university administration begin marketing the retail space in the planned mixed-use residence hall, they should consider what stores would best fit students’ needs.

The administration hasn’t decided what types of stores will fill the space. About 8,000 square feet of the $67 million structure will be available for rent.

If the university wants to show that it cares about students’ needs, they should use this opportunity to rent out the retail space wisely.

The stores should be geared toward students, especially those students who live on or near campus.

One type of store these students could benefit from is a grocery store. Plenty of convenience stores are scattered within walking distance of campus, but students need more choices than the snack-sized, overpriced food they offer.

While some convenience stores offer healthy options and fresh produce, they don’t always have the best selection. Students deserve a store with a variety of affordable, healthy foods that’s less than a 20-minute walk away.

There are a few grocery stores about a mile from campus, depending on where you live, and the Wal-Mart Supercenter is about two miles away.

For students who live on campus and don’t have cars, two miles can seem like a long way. The Mav Mover shopping shuttle only goes to Wal-Mart on Saturdays, so students are forced to bum rides or buy overpriced food they can find at the Market or other convenience stores.

There are other on-campus retail stores students could benefit from. A movie and video game rental store or a pharmacy would also be helpful to students.

Whatever the administration decides are the best options for filling the retail space, they shouldn’t decide without consulting students. And students should let them know what their needs are.

Your Opinion

What do you think the retail space in the mixed-use residence hall should offer? Comment on this article or write a letter to the editor at opinion-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu.

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Last Updated ( Thursday, 20 August 2009 10:37 AM )

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