This blog and the message it presents is misleading and poortly informed. The ASUC Auxiliary has never put pressure on the Bear’s Lair food court vendors to leave. In fact, we’ve offered them resources to improve their facilities. We will expect them to pay appropriately for the space they occupy. But in no way have we suggeted rates that would drive them out of business.

Students who participated in the Lower Sproul Redevelopment foucs groups, and those in a statistically reliable survey put out by the student government, both indicated that students wanted more food options, inlcuding national vendors. At the same time, the blog does not point out that we are also negotiating with the Brazil Cafe, another small business to bring their food options to the Student Union complex.

The Director of Dining Services on the campus has suggested that campus is well underserved with food options for students, and the ASUC is the only location where such options can be placed. Since 1884, students have relied on their businesses through the ASUC, to provide them with services and with revenue to support student activities, and groups. Bringing in additional food and other services (we are working with the Scholar’s Work Station and with the Career Center to locate services at MLK, Jr. Union), are part of the responsible conduct of student business operations.

We ask students to become informed and not let one-sided presentations determine their perspective on these matters.

By the way, the ASUC is not looking at the site of Heavenly Healthy Foods for Panada Express. But I can share with you that Ms. Vu came to my office and told me that we could buy her out for $150,000 if we wanted to. Sometimes, half the story is not adequate. We hope Heavenly Healthy Foods will improve their location, clean up their kitchen, and continue to serve students into the future.

Even if people want more variety, or even if they want chains, I’m pretty sure Panda Express, ie fake over-expensive Chinese food, is not what most of them mean! Panda Express genuinely offers more variety in a place like El Cerrito Plaza, but not in the heart of campus where we already have Healthy Heavenly Foods, and not in Berkeley where there are already many Chinese food places, including of the “pick 2 items” variety.

Students voted several years ago in a campus-wide election to support the authentic, family-owned businesses in the Bear’s Lair. That trumps a “survey” with a small sample in my opinion. That also suggests support for somewhat below-market rent.

Also, Mr. Permaul, I am concerned that in your message you didn’t get the order of Healthy Heavenly Foods’s name right. Combining that, with bashing the cleanliness of their kitchen and insinuating that we should somehow be upset that the owner wanted to be bought out rather than forced out by a chain, does not engender confidence that you are really approaching this with the best interests of the small businesses in the Bear’s Lair at heart.

I thought you did a great job as director of Parking and Transportation, and it saddens me that your tenure as head of the ASUC Auxiliary may lead to displacement of existing businesses and the chainification of the Student Union. Your impulse of wanting to get more money for student groups is good, but please be sure that a strong majority of students actually wants that, and wants you to bring in Panda Express, before moving so brazenly forward.

It’s a shame that students are only now getting to weigh in on this, at the end of the semester. Where has the Daily Cal been on this story? Mr. Permaul has been appearing to the ASUC Senate talking about Panda Express for several months now.

Another issue that needs to be considered is the impact on the Southside if more food options are brought on campus. It would not be in the interest of students to have lots of food in the Student Union, next to a vacant, struggling Telegraph Ave.

This is a multi-sided debate, and I don’t think that any of these claims are very fair to anyone involved.

The Clog is suggesting that the ASUC is trying to push these businesses out of the Bear’s Lair. What they don’t realize is that, when a business renews it rent contract, it can and should be held up to the rent standards in the surrounding area. Many patrons in the Bear’s Lair have had multi-year contracts that do not reflect current rent levels. By not charging a market rate, the ASUC is being shorted, and so are student groups.

That being said, I have a lot of love for Ned, but I feel that his position is a bit disengenuous. The ASUC Student Union, to say the least, has little to none of the quantity or quality of services provided by vendors at other California universities. The Auxiliary has an obligation to bring the best it can to this campus in terms of quantity and quality.

Finally, Jim, you extrapolate the results of a poll taken five or more years ago to support shorting student groups thousands of dollars? Have you been to a budgeting meeting? Groups fight for $50, $500, or $5000 – whatever they can get their hands on. With the amount of money raised by rents, do you think students really mind changing restaurants to promote their own agendas and activites on campus? On that note, do you feel its fair to make blanket accusations against corporations, or restaurants with more than a couple locations, without any sort of support for your claims?

Finally, ask Quizno’s and Chipotle if having the Taqueria del Talcontento or the Cheese & Stuff hurt their business. Telegraph is screwed up because the city is screwed up, not because the ASUC is offering a (heaven forbid) more business friendly alternative.

Ben, it wasn’t a poll, it was an election with thousands of voters and active campaigning involved. You can still read some of the passionate Daily Cal opinion pieces and articles from the time. It sure counts more to me than a “survey” anyway. Student groups stayed up all night for funds at budget meetings then too.

As for asking about Quizno’s and Chipotle being affected by the current Student Union restaurants, that’s really comparing apples and oranges. There is no chain in the Student Union currently. A chain in the Student Union would be more likely to hurt Telegraph. There is a finite amount of food dollars to spend — I don’t believe tons of people are going to start spending more food money because of a Panda Express. They may, however, switch from a Telegraph business to Panda Express, and from a small business in the Bear’s Lair to Panda Express.

I have not really been making blanket accusations against corporations, only against Panda Express especially. Despite some concern about Telegraph, I am most concerned about the effect on current small businesses in the Bear’s Lair, not about opposing chains as such. I would support a chain like Naan N Curry moving into the Bear’s Lair because what it offers, Indian food, doesn’t directly compete with current small businesses in the Bear’s Lair.

Ha, Jim, you basically are saying it would be a bad thing if students got to buy from a company they would, in fact, buy from. That’s ridiculous. The focus should be on putting in what students want, not upholding independent businesses.

No, I’m saying people are attracted to chains when they don’t know any better and don’t have a chance to explore. Freshmen and first-year grads will at first be the main people going to Panda Express, but then that number will become everyone as the freshmen become sophomores and there are new freshmen and so on.

So how much money was spent on these indirect “focus groups,” and is Ned willing to let this issue go to a referendum, or is he just trying to sneak it by the students by introducing this change at the end of the school year when the ASUC Senate is out of session, students are preparing for finals, and the campus will enter the summer doldrums?

Time after time, the people responsible for campus affairs this year have shown their total contempt and disrespect for the student voice over things that are going on on their campus. Plans to kick the businesses out of the bear’s lair have been whispered about for the past several months, but nobody would ever confirm what was actually going on. It’s been secretive—even from the perspective of the business owners—from the very beginning, and it is clear that there IS pressure on them to leave so that bigger businesses can be brought in.

But I doubt any of the businesses that will build Ned’s resume up can offer $1 coffees or $4 lunches.