There is a famous saying among economists that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Apparently, most economists have never met UPUA President Cody Heaton.

Heaton, a delegate of the people, is dedicated to creating value for students. Not only does his administration host events that allow students to get food for $0.00, but it also gives students a platform for honest communication in a laid-back environment. 

Technically, the ‘free’ pizza costs money — probably fractions of cents from each of our student fee dollars. It also costs us time out of our busy day. But don’t think about the costs, concerned reader, think about the benefits.

The opportunity to voice your concerns, to complain about the tremendous flaws of the HUB’s room booking system, to just share all of the weird shit that your professors say in class, to eat food for no monetary cost: This is the value that ‘Eatin’ with Heaton’ creates for students.

Ever since I picked up the ‘Eatin with Heaton’ beat, I’ve felt very strongly that students should take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy free food and get to know your student representatives.

Not that they are larger than life politicians or anything. Heaton shared a story about how he once killed a cockroach in the UPUA office. When the dead bug’s leg fell on his laptop, he was utterly disgusted, so he doused his keyboard in hand sanitizer. Truly, the UPUA president is just like all of us. 

For the third installment of ‘Eatin with Heaton,’ UPUA ordered eight pizzas, which ended up being enough for every person in the room to have their own box. The many leftovers were donated to the administrators in the Grange Building who had a meeting in the room after we left.

So I ask you, reader, wouldn’t you rather be the benefactor of the free food and friendly conversation instead of the people who get paid and can buy their own pizza? Exactly. 

I encourage you to stay tuned to UPUA and Cody Heaton’s Twitter accounts for updates on the next one. 

Or don’t. That leaves more for the rest of us.