So another year here at the University has begun. A new year means new things to look forward to…or in some cases, to dread. No one really likes when prices go up, whether it be the cost of tuition or the cost of food in the cafeteria, but sometimes it just has to happen.

But this high? Seriously? Since when is $1.50 for a cup of yogurt even a little bit sensible? And $6.10 for a hero? Mind you, a hero that is smaller than ones sold at Subway or Quizno’s restaurants for less (depending on the type of sandwich). At least the new Subway in the Netherlands Residence Hall offers $5 foot-long sandwiches like most off-campus Subway restaurants.

Students probably aren’t surprised that food prices went up because this tends to happen every year, but if you’re going to change the prices of items, remember to change the signs, too. It can be a bit frustrating when you do the math and prepare exact change to pay for an item only to realize that it is actually more than you expected it to be.

For example, the wonderfully fancy flat screen monitor near the hero station in the Student Center Café says all heroes are $5.80, but when you get to the register, they ring up for $6.10. For having such an elaborate display with fancy transitions, is it that hard to update it?

The same goes for Kobrick’s Coffee in the Axinn Library. The board says a medium hot chocolate is $2.15, but it rings up for $2.25.

Some of us actually do pay attention to both the signage and what comes up on the registers. When we’re already paying ridiculously high prices, those few nickels do matter.

In addition to food prices going up, meal plan prices also went up. Resident students who want a meal plan are forced to purchase one for at least $695-$200 more than last year’s smallest plan. Now, this technically makes sense in accordance with prices going up, but what about those students who prefer to make their own meals, but once in a while don’t have the time so they eat on campus? Meal points only roll over from fall to spring. After that, your money is lost.

Yes, they can pay cash during those random times they decide to eat on campus, but paying cash means being charged sales tax. And not everyone carries a decent amount of cash with them at all times. It’s not like the food here is cheap enough that if you happen to have a crumpled $5 bill in your pocket you can get something somewhat filling.