By Jo Zulkowsky
The Bookstore has been asked to stop selling candy which had put it in competition with the cafeteria.
The Department of Human Services, Office of Rehabilitation, leases the cafeteria and has a contract stating that they sell all of the food on campus. Dr. Frank Zeller, vice president of business services, said the only exception in the contract allows the athletic office one machine to sell fruit drinks in the gymnasium.
"The bookstore was only trying to fulfill a need, but it is only fair to enforce the contract the cafeteria has," Zeller said. "Otherwise we risk losing money and the taxpayers end up paying more."
Both bookstore manager Lauren Sandberg and cafeteria manager Mike Boldrey declined to comment. Zeller said the bookstore would sell out its current stock of candy but not restock any.
Zeller explained that DORS pays the college $15,000 a year, provides the tables, chairs and other equipment, pays for garbage removal, and gives the college 4 percent of profits from sales of $220,000 or more. DORS also takes care of maintenance and upgrading of the cafeteria facility.
The current lease was signed in January of this year and runs through December of 2004.
Zeller said leasing the cafeteria "has saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars since 1972." When the buildings opened in 1972, most schools were losing money on their cafeterias, he said.
"We are happy to sign a contract since they fulfill our needs and do everything, with $15,000 a year coming back to IVCC," Zeller said.