By Staff Writer Ben Pfeffer

I am sure everybody has noticed that there is a severe lack of stores on campus. Even the stores that we do have are subpar. For example, we have a b-tier Starbucks and we have a Wendy’s without a 4-for-4. The students of UMass Dartmouth can collectively agree that there needs to be more stores on campus. 

 There are a few reasons people argue against adding new stores to the campus. All of them are pointless arguments. 

 Some argue that there isn’t enough money to add any more stores to the campus. However, they just started construction on the new freshman housing and dining complex. This project was $134 million dollars alone, not including the $50 million renovations to DION. If the school can pay $180 million for these projects, they are going to be able to pay to add the stores to the campus. 

 Others argue that there would be no place to put the stores on campus without replacing current buildings. However, there is a massive field doing absolutely nothing between the middle of campus and the windmill. This space could be so used for the addition of stores and more to improve what everybody thinks of the campus. 

 Overall, there should be more stores on campus… mostly food stores though, in my opinion. 

 The point of on campus stores is for them to be convenient. Not everybody likes the same food so there would have to be a variety in the food selection. This would take up most of the stores, but the rest could include a variety of stores, including a convenience store with a pharmacy. 

 If I were to create a Wishlist of stores on campus this is what it would look like. The UMass pass would have to be used at all of them so that it wouldn’t draw outsiders onto campus. 

The most important thing, which should be on top of most people’s Wishlists, is a Dunkin. 

 This campus needs a Dunkin on it. There are many students who need this because it is their type of coffee. Also, many students would be able to get breakfast there, as well as other meals. It would be a perfect solution to an overcrowded Marketplace. 

 Another store we should have that cures starvism is Bertucci’s. It would be the only sit in restaurant on campus. 

 For those who haven’t heard of this one, Bertucci’s is an Italian restaurant that has 58 locations up and down the east coast from New Hampshire to Virginia. Bertucci’s has amazing food and would be a sit in restaurant, but I still think it could work on campus if we had other stores to take away too many customers at once. 

 A third food store we should have on campus is Subway. It would be a good choice to round out the trio of food stores. 

 A Subway produces food quickly and it feels like it’s not fast food. It is an amazing final food store because it encompasses completely different eating situations than Dunkin and Bertucci’s. A Subway should be added to campus with the other two food places. 

 Finally, a convenience store including a pharmacy, like CVS or Walgreens, should be on campus. 

 This store should be on campus because there would be a place to refresh medications. People could also pick up small snacks and convenient items, as well as contraceptives for free like at health services. A combination of a convenience store and a pharmacy would be a very useful addition to campus for both students and faculty. 

 The students would love to have stores like these on campus. I hope, someday, that this Wishlist becomes a reality.