The announcement adding Peet's Coffee and Tea to Memorial Union has received both praise and complaints.
The decision to add a coffeehouse came from a 2007 survey the Wisconsin Union Directorate sent to UW-Madison students.
The main considerations for choosing Peet's over other chains, like Starbucks and Caribou Coffee, are its environmentally friendly ties and product quality.
A main concern with the addition is a private company could take business away from Union-owned eateries. Although privatization may seem troubling, it is best for the Union and for people who go to the Union.
Despite the space the Union has for student organization offices, the Union is separate from the university and has the capitalistic intention of generating profits.
This privatization provides a much-needed, higher quality alternative to the coffee currently served in the Union. Also, Peet's plans to hire students as workers, increasing employment opportunities for students who want on-campus jobs.
The students who have complained about a coffee shop going in the empty first-floor space should have considered taking action earlier in the decision-making process.
Ultimately the Union aims to serve students because they are the people who most often frequent and utilize what the union has to offer. Students want caffeine and a comfortable place to study, and starting next fall, Memorial Union will be able to offer that to the student population.
