The Student Government plans to begin running free shuttle vans next semester from AU's main campus to the Tenleytown branches of CVS and Whole Foods to give students a lower-cost alternative to The Eagle's Nest.
The primary goal of the program is to pressure The Eagle's Nest to decrease its prices, according to SG President Joe Vidulich.
"If they lower prices that would be our best result," he said. "If they do that, we'll stop the service immediately."
The prices of many products at The Eagle's Nest are up to 50 percent higher than prices at CVS and Whole Foods, according to Vidulich.
"Students really just want something cheap," he said. "We spend $40,000 a year to go here - why not get something cheap? Not to mention the selection is much more diverse at places like Whole Foods and CVS."
Student volunteers will be driving AUTO vans, which will run every 10 minutes throughout the day from a location near The Eagle's Nest to Tenleytown. The vans will work better than the shuttle buses because they will make fewer stops and be driven by students rather than paid employees, Vidulich said.
"Everyone in the Student Government will be driving for free," he said. "We don't want to lose any money on this. We just want to do it out of goodness."
Lowering prices would not be easy, according to Jodi Norris, director of AU's Auxiliary Services.
The Eagle's Nest has higher prices because it cannot buy products in bulk like large chain stores, she said.
"You have to remember that CVS is a huge corporation," Norris said. "Having a small store makes it difficult to compete. We can't compete with the volume."
The types of products The Eagle's Nest carries also affects prices, she said.
"I'm not saying that we are not going to find a better pricing structure," she said. "That just might mean changing the products. The high-end organic [food] is always going to cost more."
Lauren Cater, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she does not like The Eagle's Nest.
"It's overpriced, doesn't have a wide selection and always smells like Subway," she said.
If the service is popular, the shuttle vans may begin running late in the night and to other locations in D.C., including Friendship Heights and Georgetown, Vidulich said.
"If we see students saying, 'Hey, we love going to Giant, we love going to restaurants in Georgetown,' we can do that," he said. "If this works out, I could see us running to Friendship Heights, which the shuttle [bus] doesn't run to."
Some AU students said they are unsure about the free shuttle service having a wide impact on students.
"I didn't even hear about this," said Sisay Meheiet, a sophomore in the Kogod School of Business. "[For] a lot of students, it's easier to go to The Eagle's Nest than Whole Foods. I guess it depends on the students."
Andy Swanson, a senior in the School of International Service, said he doubted the shuttle van service's ability to lower The Eagle's Nest's prices.
"I think it is a good idea if people want to volunteer their time [to give rides], but personally, I wouldn't use it because I live off campus," Swanson said. "I don't think it is going to change the prices"
