BU Spokesman Colin Riley said that rather than a set, distinct fee that can easily be separated as a line item in a breakdown of tuition, the cost of stolen items is anticipated ahead of time and factored into other costs, just as a business owner may account for the costs of operating his business.
“It’s factored into the cost of operating the facilities, meaning dining and other facilities,” he said. “We don’t say what you’re going to spend on replenishing utensils or other things, it’s really just the cost of operating the dining facilities.”
Riley said that the budget for each department at BU includes a contingency cost, which may cover anticipated finances such as a lost couch. The cost is not separated from the budget, but it would only be a small percentage of the budget if it were, he said.
Stealing among students, he said, is a largely inconsequential problem that does not have a significant effect on the budget.
“Our students really are very responsible and do a terrific job taking what they need, taking what they’re going to eat, using the utensils and glasses for dinnerware that they would normally use, and there’s no concern in that area,” Riley said.
Many students said they believe that the fee is specifically applied to the dining plan, as more than a fair share of students may have snuck out plastic bags full of Goldfish or containers of pasta to save for later.
One anonymous College of Communication sophomore said that she has heard of the fee and uses it to justify taking food and utensils from the dining hall.
College of Arts and Sciences freshman Michael Passador said he had recently heard of the fee from an upperclassman in his hall.
“It’s seems like they wouldn’t do that, but on the other hand, if they did I wouldn’t be shocked,” Passador said. “Because, I mean, I’ve seen people take food out all the time.”
Director of Dining Services Scott Rosario also said the fee is just a rumor.
“There is no fee included in the price of meals plans for stolen food,” Rosario said in an email.
Director of Student Accounting Services Kathleen Hynes said that the process of setting tuition fees is “complicated” and involves a lot of people.
Riley said that while some students may believe that everything they pay to BU can be broken down and attributed to some cost, this is not the case.
“It’s a false exercise to say you can go down to a penny on every single thing you do through the course of the day,” Riley said.
Some students said they doubted the fee existed in the first place.
“At first I didn’t really think it was true, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was,” said CAS freshman Scott Bovino. “I guess it’s plausible now that people would believe that.”
