Walk into almost any food establishment, ask for a cup of water and they will gladly give it to you for free. After all, you are most likely going to spend some of your money on their food, and, if not, it is generally seen as an act of kindness to give water to someone who is thirsty. Then, why, when I walk into the Levering Café and ask for a cup of water, am I charged 24 cents for "the cup?"
I understand that the cafeteria doesn't want people taking free cups and then filling them with soda, but what about the people, like me, who don't want to spend the extra money on a sugary drink full of calories? It's bad enough that the healthy drinks, such as the Naked juice drinks, are more expensive than the ones with no nutrition.
I suppose I could have bought a bottle of water, but I just cannot support buying a product where more than 90 percent of the cost goes into the plastic packaging, transportation and other environmentally detrimental expenses. I'm already signed up for dining dollars, which are more expensive than actual dollars, so it is unclear why I can't even have water for free.
I would just bring my own water bottle, but it is considered unsanitary by Baltimore City to fill water bottles at a communal drink machine. As a result, I frequently find myself having to duck out of the cafeteria in the middle of lunch to take sips at the water fountain. And I can't even fill my bottle there because the angle of the spout makes it impossible.
There is absolutely no reason for Levering to make us spend money on water, especially when Nolan's, which is also run by Aramark, provides free cups for water. If large fast food corporations have the humanity to provide their patrons with this basic need then Levering is certainly able to do the same.
