The University of Idaho has taken a tremendous step forward to help support and expand their community by officially partnering with the Moscow Food Co-op.

WSU, on the other hand, doesn’t seem at all interested in helping out its local business community. Instead it has repeatedly chosen to partner with major corporations such as Starbucks, Barnes & Noble and Subway, which throws cash straight into the wallets of money-hungry CEOs.

In December of 2014, WSU let down its students and the community as a whole when they decided to rip away Mike Wagoner’s lease on Zoe Underground, now known as Zoe Coffee & Kitchen, in favor of Starbucks.

Wagoner is a true Coug at heart. He graduated in 1978 from this very campus, yet WSU still wasn’t willing to let him keep his location.

“WSU doesn’t like competition against its dining services,” Wagoner said.

In a week, Zoe will be in business for 12 years, and Wagoner is grateful for all the opportunities he has had to build on his dream of owning a coffee shop.

“Zoe is the Greek word for life and we just wanted to have a place where people could enjoy themselves and enjoy life,” Wagoner said.

But, if given the chance, Wagoner would love nothing more than to be invited back onto campus.

When Wagoner finally decided to reach back out to WSU to discuss the potential idea of coming back onto campus, he was greeted with nothing but silence.

“We offered to donate, if they would keep us on campus for at least another semester, a $10,000 scholarship to whoever they wanted,” Wagoner said, “but they never got back to us.”

With its award-winning coffees and amazing menu options, WSU students and faculty have been faithfully eating at Zoe since it first opened its doors in February 2006.

Zoe Underground was a safe haven for students, staff and faculty. Diverse individuals would all come in for a quick bite to eat, something to drink, or a spot to hang out for a bit, and WSU stole that sanctuary away from them.

“I loved walking around that little place,” Wagoner said. “You’d go to one table and there would be someone on Facebook. You go to another table and people are studying, another place maybe a girl and a guy holding hands, and after them people are having a bible study, then the next ones would be drinking a beer.”

In order to keep the money in our community, we need to follow in the footsteps of UI and put an end to our support of nothing but corporate capitalism.

Pullman is full of genuine and ambitious business owners, such as Wagoner, but if we ever hope to see our small town grow to its full potential we have to begin by supporting our locals.