Recently a campaign has begun opposing the arrival of Panda Express on Lower Sproul Plaza (where Naia Lounge used to be). Let me just first put it out there that, as someone who has grown up eating authentic home-cooked Chinese food, I choose to avoid Chinese food sold at chain restaurants as a matter of principle; however, when it comes to allowing a restaurant to operate on campus, I do not believe my personal preferences should come into play.

Panda Express and other Chinese food chain restaurants are very successful at universities in the UC system and across the nation. Let Cal students make their own choices, and the market will determine whether students support this food option. Before opposing the arrival of a restaurant such as Panda Express on campus, I respectfully ask that all students take the time to hear both sides of the argument before forming an opinion.

The fact of the matter is, the restaurants that the ASUC currently operates in the Bear's Lair are losing our ASUC thousands of dollars in potential revenue every year because of the low revenue they generate in prime commercial space. That's money that could be used to fund more student group activities. We currently subsidize those small mom-and-pop stores in the Bear's Lair by charging them lower rent. We do this because we understand that Berkeley's culture supports small businesses, diversity and eclecticism.

More importantly, revenue to support student government and student organizations is limited by our failure to generate new funds. The ASUC went bankrupt in 1998, which led to a drastic loss of autonomy for our student body. We cannot let this happen again, and I will do what I can as an elected official to protect the students from this. The ASUC has been looking for ways to increase student revenue without having to shut down those small mom-and-pop restaurants. One of those small businesses, Gelateria Naia, brought Panda Express to the campus as a partner to help save its business. With revenue from Panda Express, the ASUC will be able to continue subsidizing those small restaurants in the Bear's Lair and lending help to support student organizations. It's all about finding the right balance between big and small.

I understand there exists a sentiment of antipathy whenever we hear about a big company such as Panda Express coming to campus; however, big doesn't necessarily equate to bad. As a large company, there is a certain degree of greater accountability, and Panda has agreed to offer healthy food options on our campus. We are working with them to create a vegetarian option as well as a low-calorie menu. They are also aware of the ASUC's commitment to greening our businesses and are eager to work with the campus to achieve those goals.

Currently in the Bear's Lair, there exists a preponderance of plastic and Styrofoam, which is quite harmful to the environment; however, no one has made a fuss about it. In addition, none of the businesses in the Bear's Lair are organic. Since Panda Express is a large business, I do believe that they should be scrutinized more closely. Environmental concerns are certainly being addressed in contract negotiations. I support the environment, and I think we as a campus can lobby Panda Express to enact better environmental practices far better than we can convince the current small restaurants to do the same.

Although mom-and-pop restaurants compete against national brands such as Panda Express in the sense that both sell food, they are fundamentally different in that they cater to different customer bases. There exists room for both types of restaurants at UC Berkeley. Currently there are zero large restaurant chains operating on campus. I am not advocating a slew of national chain restaurants coming here; however, by not permitting a single Panda Express to operate in UC Berkeley, aren't we discriminating against those students who want that kind of food and would like to be able to access it on campus?

As a senator representing you, I am not willing to deter Panda coming to this campus at the expense of preventing students from reaping the guaranteed benefits. In finding the right balance between big and small, we must keep in mind that Berkeley's culture has until now favored small businesses but does not exclude the diversity of preferences for businesses deemed otherwise. Although I oppose Panda Express from a culinary perspective, I ultimately support its arrival based on a practical, financial and ideological perspective.