I’ll be the first to admit — I love living in West Halls. It’s conveniently located, the dining hall is fantastic, and my room is much bigger than my freshmen counterparts in East Halls. However, the one thing that drives me absolutely crazy about West is Sisu, the now-infamous convenience store.

The store, meant to be “green” and “organic,” misses the mark more than Rob Bolden (which is really saying something).  The store also contradicts itself, as it’s mainly an organic store, yet still sells Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Here are a few of the other ridiculous items that Sisu sells:

• Poppy seed dressing ($3.99):  Why would anyone ever buy poppy seed dressing? I have never thought to myself, “Man, this hand-tossed salad I made is fantastic, but it could really use some poppy seed dressing.”
• Preserve Cups ($5.89): These cups, unlike regular plastic cups, are supposed to be green and “reusable,” which apparently makes it okay to charge six dollars for these. Red solo cups are just as green and reusable (you can wash them if you so choose), and are available at a fraction of the cost.
• Recycled napkins ($5.89): You’re killin’ me, Sisu. God forbid I spill something in my dorm room, or I have to take out a loan just to finance cleaning up the spilled beverage. Really, Sisu? $5.89 for napkins? That takes up more of my meal points than a nice Sunday brunch at the dining commons. I might as well just use 5-$1 bills to clean up my mess instead.
• Amy’s Veggie Pie in a Pocket Sandwich ($3.29): Yes, this frozen meal looks as gross as it sounds.
• Desert Essence shampoo ($8.99): I don’t think my hair really cares if its cleansing product captures the essence and mystique of the desert. If for some reason I really needed shampoo and could only go to Sisu, it would be nice to not have to waste money to pamper my hair.

Sure, I could just avoid all of this trouble and go to other convenience stores. The only problem is that all other convenience stores are at least a 30-minute roundtrip walk. If it’s midnight and I need to get something, I’d rather not have to walk the long distance just to get something like paper towels.  For now, I’ll just have to deal with this blemish on the otherwise great West Halls. But I won’t be happy about it as I angrily eat my Veggie Pie Sandwich and drink out of organic cups.

Click here for Ally Greer’s side of the Onward Debate.