Yale on two dollars a day

It's been an ugly week for us non-wealthy Yalies. First, Yale responds to Princeton's financial aid announcement by reiterating its philosophy that those who can't afford to pay for their education out of pocket should earn it. Then, in the DeVane Lecture on Tues., Jan. 30, Ian Shapiro recites a litany of reasons why downward redistribution of wealth is about as attainable for modern America as an Ivy League title is for Yale women's hockey. And Krauszer's raised its sandwich prices.

ERIN I. LEWIS/YH As mew shops open on Broadway, University Properties' vision is being realized. Is it a good one?

When I inform Director of University Properties John Maturo of this last fact, he responds, "That would seem to say that Krauszer's isn't serving students optimally." But, wait, Mr. Maturo, didn't you hand Krauszer's a monopoly? Never mind that, he says. Gourmet Heaven's lease limits its prices to being "at or below" the levels of Krauszer's. That's funny. I could've sworn his director of operations told us that Krauszer's prices were too high back in September. He must have meant perfectly acceptable, right?

Which brings us to the fundamental question. Have the people at University Properties heard of Adam Smith? Economics professor Jennifer Hunt notes, "I have been surprised at how Yale has such preconceived ideas about which tenants they want. I certainly have had the impression that it wasn't necessarily the most profitable stores they want. If they did, as you are observing, there would be more than one convenience store, and prices would be lower."

But University Properties is proud of the fact that it is not a strictly capitalist operation. When Maturo sends me out on a car tour of their work in New Haven with Assets Manager Troy Resch, SOM '97, we start out at the residential developments on Ashmun Street. As Maturo paints it, they're trying to revitalize neighborhoods while preserving their character and skirting around gentrification. Yale wants to help the city.

Broadway, then, represents an awkward tension between the student interests and those of the city. Maturo explains that University Properties wants to help entrepreneurs who are developing the uniqueness of Broadway and bringing dollars into New Haven. So I ask Resch how this policy might be compatible with bringing in Barnes & Noble and Urban Outfitters. It's not that simple, Resch explains. The key to bringing shoppers in to see the local stores is having recognizable national anchor tenants. Riiiight.

And exactly what shoppers will they be bringing in? Maturo acknowledges that "this is not a high-income town." And so it is unsurprising that when the Properties people speak of Urban Outfitters, they speak of serving Greater New Haven. Greater New Haven will, of course, park in the abundant parking that is already at a premium.

Maturo defends himself by noting that if he brought in a cheap clothing store, people would just complain that it was shoddy. You can't please everyone, he says. Resch, like the John Stuart Mill of retail, shares this utilitarian philosophy. If you want cheap clothing, Resch suggests, turn to the shops on Chapel Street. And if you're one of us pesky average students on financial aid who needs something more than a shoddy $5 t-shirt but less than Urban Outfitters' premium vintage goods? It seems you're SOL. Get a car.

When I tell Resch that I was also miffed to discover that the Bookstore has failed to meet student needs—at times lacking everything from pillowcases to trash cans—he insists that the Broadway retailers want to serve our needs. Work just has to be done in order to ascertain those needs. Also, he notes, the Bookstore is reconfiguring its space to make the school supplies more accessible. So when they told me they didn't have sheet protectors last semester, what they really meant was "our space is badly configured?"

When Resch and I walk into Whimsels, he seems astounded I would think the food was pricey. Look, it's only $3! But, I say, I only want to spend two bucks a night. Which leaves me with pizza. But isn't it so nice to have an entrepreneur here? Personally, I'd kill for a Taco Bell.

While the folks at University Properties are genuinely accessible (the first office I've ever called at Yale in whichI didn't have to fight a wall of secretaries), interested in student opinion (holding focus groups), and open (the offices have glass walls), they stop short of actually surveying students. Consequently, they seem to have really missed the boat on this one. As an instrument of the University, their highest priority should be to serve students, keeping their dollars in New Haven instead of having them flock to suburbs, the Internet, or even home for their shopping. Instead Yale pursues pie-in-the-sky urban revitalization dreams born of a handful of stores. Of course, maybe I'm the one who's wrong. Let me know. E-mail me at kushal.dave@yale.edu and let me know if you're hankering for a $24 t-shirt. It'll just take a minute.

Back to News...