If you asked most students about Rita's Gift Shop, they would probably have no idea that it was located in the basement of the Memorial Union. This explains why Rita's closed on Thursday and why students have had little input on what will take the gift shop's place.
Rita's was similar to a Hallmark, selling cute gifts and cards and providing shipping services. But Rita's is being replaced with an ASU Bookstore offshoot that will sell, not surprisingly, school supplies and ASU clothing.
According to a recent State Press article, MU spokesperson Becky Hornack said there has always been an interest in having a bookstore outlet in the MU. However, it seems obvious that this interest is purely financial and comes from ASU, not its students.
It makes no sense to put another ASU store in a prime location that could house a new food vendor or an independent retail store like Hoodlums, which does quite well in its basement location.
There's nothing wrong with ASU trying to expand their services: The Palo Verde East outlet saves students a substantial walk to the main campus store. But the main bookstore has only the Computing Commons between it and the MU, and already has a large assortment of overpriced ASU T-shirts and teddy bears the kind of gifts that would be sold in the new MU basement location.
And since the junior bookstore can depend on its full-sized brother, there's hardly any chance it will be closed if it isn't successful. By simply moving merchandise and employees from the larger store to its subsidiary, ASU will be able to keep it running without incurring losses, even if it isn't popular with students.
It is unfair that ASU should monopolize campus sales by replacing the independently owned Rita's with its own foolproof plan for making an extra buck.
Besides, the space Rita's left would be a great location for a non-ASU-owned food vendor. Just imagine how much traffic a Chipotle or In-N-Out would bring to the MU. Another great option would be a healthy restaurant with more options for vegetarian and health-conscious students.
With mandatory meal plans in 2006, it would make much more sense for ASU to offer another food choice as opposed to a bookstore that doesn't meet any new student needs.
Overall, ASU's plan to replace Rita's is reflective of a bigger problem: its lack of taking student input into consideration. Whether it's raising tuition or building new dorms, ASU has a knack for making decisions first and answering questions later.
In the case of replacing Rita's, it wouldn't have been difficult for ASU to take a poll and cater to the students' desires, since the space is already there. But hey, it's much easier to just fill the space with ASU merchandise. Though allowing an outside vendor to come in might take more effort in the short run, it would payout more in the long run by increasing student happiness.
If Crow wants to create more of a student community by implementing mandatory meal plans, he should open up to the possibility of giving students more meal options. At least hold off on replacing Rita's with an unneeded bookstore until the students have had a chance to express their desires. Even students who have never heard of Rita's might have an idea for how to fill its vacancy.
If I'm wrong and it turns out that nobody responds, I'll be the first in line to buy an "I love ASU" sweatshirt.
Stephanie Berger is a journalism sophomore who really wants a Chipotle in Tempe. Reach her at stephanie.m.berger@asu.edu.
