The Brew on the Bridge in Raynor Library is not planning to change the prices of Pepsi products soon, although administrators will consider doing so, according to Marilyn Bugenhagen, director of the Alumni Memorial Union. The AMU is in charge of all Brew coffee shops.

The decision came in response to a Viewpoint by senior Mary Alice Berg in The Marquette Tribune’s Sept. 23 issue. In her Viewpoint, Berg wrote that the price of 20-ounce Pepsi products at Brew on the Bridge, $1.64, was too high, especially when vending machines sold the same product for one dollar. Berg also expressed frustration that vending machines on the Bridge were locked up while the Brew was open. The Brew on the Bridge is the only Brew that sells Pepsi products in bottles, not as a fountain drink.

At the AMU advisory board meeting on Tuesday, “we had an open forum (regarding the prices) and no one showed up to speak about the issue,” Bugenhagen said. “We talked about whether it was an issue, or what the issue was. Students on the board did bring up that you can’t get to the vending machines after midnight (since the second floor of Raynor closes then), so maybe that’s not the place for them.”

Bugenhagen said the vending machines were locked up whenever the Brew on the Bridge was open. However, machines were unimpeded in operation Wednesday afternoon, although most beverages were sold out.

For the moment, Bugenhagen said, no immediate action will be taken about lowering prices.

“We’re going to stay the course, and we’re gathering more information to see what are the other options,” Bugenhagen said. “Certainly, we want to make sure that we’ve explored all the options (before we make any decisions). It’s not as easy as just saying, ‘Just unlock (the machines) and let it go.’ What we want to do is listen to the student voice, which we’re doing, and try to figure out how we can make this best with all of the considerations.”

Bugenhagen said since the Brew on the Bridge was new this year, coinciding with the opening of the Raynor Library, there were some unexpected problems.

“Any time you open a new facility, you’re always looking to work out all the bugs and kinks, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” she said.

Many students at Brew on the Bridge agreed that dropping the price of Pepsi products was a good idea.

“I think it’s a very good idea (to drop the price), and I would probably buy more products from Brew on the Bridge,” junior Lora Sfeir said. “$1.64 for a bottled water is ridiculous when it sells for a dollar in the vending machines.”

Berg liked that the AMU advisory board was considering her request.

“I think it’s a good idea, but I don’t understand what the big hoopla is about,” Berg said. “I do appreciate that they looked into it very speedily.”