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BoardPlus is the well-loved semesterly allowance that Harvard gives us to spend at various cafes and cafeterias across campus. That said, is $65 a semester truly enough? I think not (there’s been considerable inflation since 2007). As long as BoardPlus allocations remain stagnant, I will keep pleading with Harvard to recenter academics AND student well-being by beefing up our supply of snacks and caffeine.

1. Free Sidewalks

This is really just logistical. When students run out of BoardPlus, they have no choice but to outsource to the already congested streets of Harvard Square for their fix. Red Line commuters and overworked baristas alike would appreciate it if the line to Blank Street didn’t almost intersect with the line to Joe’s.

2. More Student Jobs

Speaking of baristas, we should have more of them! It’s not just intellectual vitality that Harvard is supposed to cultivate — every college student should have the opportunity to become a stylish barista with good music taste. And if a bigger BoardPlus budget means students are spending more at campus cafes, then surely we can pay more baristas and House grille workers. (That’s the kind of circular economic logic I can get behind.)

3. Free us from Fogbuster! (or whatever the new thing is)

When BoardPlus inevitably runs out, what are we left with besides our local shall coffee? I’m not even a major proponent of the Fogbuster hate campaign, but it is nothing compared to the espresso beans of Cafe Gato Rojo.

4. Campus Exploration

Nothing leads students on a quest quite like the promise of free food. Board Plus ensures that people at least know where Lamont is, or even the Law School Cafe, and will take walks around Harvard’s campus to spend all their cash.

5. Penance for Barker Cafe

This last one is personal. The death of Barker Cafe is one that shook most of campus, and I feel that people need a little more spending money to get them through this hard time, even if they have fewer places to spend it. RIP Barker Cafe, RIP Countway Connections, and long live BoardPlus.

This was my completely irrefutable plea to whomever it may concern to please increase Board Plus. As I write, the temperatures are dropping rapidly and the clouds are rolling in, signaling the start of a bleak winter. If there was ever a time for this message to make its impact, it is now. Anything helps.