Raising Valhalla's rent requires review

By Staff Editorial     2/12/09 6:00pm

With an ever-tightening economic noose forcing the university to pay more and more attention to its budget, Rice is currently entertaining a proposal that would increase the rent owed by Willy's Pub and Valhalla (see story, page 1). The amount of money Pub would owe has not been made public, but Valhalla would be on the hook for $1,678.25 per month, or $1,000 more per month than the graduate student hangout is paying this year.We are fully aware that this proposal is far from finalized, but we feel that it is necessary to raise our objections as preemptively and immediately as possible.

According to President David Leebron's Vision for the Second Century, one of Rice's main goals for the upcoming years is the creation and maintenance of "attractive campus amenities" for graduate students. Luckily for those administrators given the task of achieving this goal, Valhalla is already one of the most attractive amenities in Houston, and its attractiveness stretches far beyond the hedges. Recently, Houston Press named Valhalla the "Best Place to Lie Around Drinking Beer" for 2008, citing good value - most beers cost no more than a dollar or two - and lively social atmosphere as two of the pub's best attributes. Valhalla also made the Houston Press awards list in 2004 as the "Best Place to Meet Single Women." In short, Valhalla is the social lynchpin for the graduate student population, since it provides a vibrant social environment at low cost, all within easy walking distance of labs and classrooms.

If this financial proposal passes, the university will collect $12,000 more per year from Valhalla - money the volunteer-only pub will almost certainly have to collect by raising prices on its products. And we have to ask: Is it worth it?

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As the aforementioned Houston Press awards indicate, the price value Valhalla currently offers is one of the principal reasons that hoards of graduate students, as well as other Houstonians, flock there. If Valhalla has to increase its prices, its clientele will inevitably disperse, and the delicate equilibrium of cheap drinks, diverse customers and relaxed culture will disappear. The more than 30-year-old tradition of this unique society will disappear.

Is the $12,000 in extra rent charge per year - a drop in the bucket as far as the multi-million dollar university operating budget is concerned - worth it? We hope the administration answers, "No.

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