Campus group urges monopoly awareness
Stop Monopolies on Campus (SMOC), a student organization promoting a more competitive market for on-campus goods and services, is urging student awareness of the possibility of monopolies at Utah State University.
SMOC was organized last fall to advocate an increase in purchasing options available to students via boosting competition among suppliers. The group believes students should be able to evaluate alternative sources for services and make individual decisions on goods and services that are typically monopolized by the university, such as housing, food, school supplies and textbooks.
“SMOC’s goal is to empower students with choice,” said Chris Fawson, SMOC adviser and vice provost for Academic and International Affairs. “A lot of students aren’t aware the university has a monopoly on many of the ways [they] spend money.”
Matt Allison, a senior studying production management, said, “Yeah, the bookstore is a monopoly, but there’s not much you can do about that.”
SMOC wants students to know that through competition, lower prices and better service might be available, Fawson said.
Cory Davidson, an original member of SMOC and a graduate student studying economics, said he believes privatization of businesses on campus would have numerous benefits.
“It could make the school money,” Davidson said. “Private businesses could be more efficient if they were allowed on campus. But we keep a more-bureaucratic, less-efficient system.”
And according to SMOC research conducted last fall, local businesses are interested and would like to get into the student market.
“This campus is like the perfect monopoly,” Davidson said. “We’re isolated from local businesses by our location. Right now, prices can be higher and services can go down, because on-campus businesses don’t have to compete with anybody.”
SMOC recently conducted a student survey outside The Junction inquiring about food quality, pricing and service. The Statesman will publish the results as soon as they are available.
“Lots of campuses have increased their options,” Fawson said, “and studies suggest benefits there in the form of better service and lower prices.”
SMOC welcomes all students, faculty, administrators and USU employees to their monthly meetings, which are held the first Wednesday of every month. For the location and time, contact SMOC via ususmoc@yahoo.com.
Davidson said he hopes SMOC will raise more constant student awareness that possible alternatives to monopolies are worth looking into.
“People think about it twice a year buying books,” he said, “but not other than that.”
–hilj@cc.usu.edu