In the name of the student body, the Justice has long been in the front lines of valid grumbles with the Brandeis establishment, always pointing our accusatory finger in the direction of corruption, waste, unfairness or dishonesty. But in light of last week's food related discord between students and the administration, we must point out that the former is not invariably in the right. During the Sukkot Festivities in Sherman Dining Hall, an unexpected food shortage left a number of diners hungry for more. Typically, when tuition-paying, nuitrient-deprived college students are swindled out of an extra kosher meal, especially on such a sacred holiday, the University is promptly and duly apprehended. Yet in this instance, and in many others, the Robin Hood mentality just doesn't apply. Despite mandatory sign-up for holiday meals during the weekend of Oct. 10 - 12, some student renegades snuck into Sukkot festivities unannounced and consequently, unaccomodated.

Subsequent complaints against the University for inadequate provisions and poor organization were, therefore, not only insubstantial, but ironically self-incriminating.

Our misguided avowal of victimization applies to other dining services, such as weekly Shabbat dinner. While sign-up is also required for proportional food allotment, students consistently postpone, forget or just defer making those reservations.But, to the credit of the University, when stragglers wander in to the dinner on a Friday night, they are usually accommodated anyway, despite throwing off the calibrated system of food distribution.

When it comes to C-Store and bookstore prices, we further indulge our impulse to complain. While the bulk of price-determining factors are bureaucratically and economically far beyond our influence, some frustrated students might contribute to them via their preferred mode of vigilante justice: stealing.

Although it may seem logical, fair and almost poetic to subvert the greedy establishment by stealing the bag of trail mix instead of coughing up the obscene $5.99, in the long run, a loss in inventory will translate into higher prices, as that 'establishment' will continue to seek profit, by any means.

Far more innocuous than stealing, is what some of us may call 'Sherman shopping,' which involves leaving the buffet with more than a full stomach and an apple in hand. While costlier meals and smaller portions are most likely independent of this quasi-legal phenomenon, it is uncouth and hypocritical to reprimand the University to its face while underhandedly stealing from its pockets.

With cluttered thoughts and busy schedules, errands, like Sukhot sign up, are apt to slip our minds and portable and concealable food is apt to slip out of Sherman. But while it is unrealistic and 'holier than thou' to demand flawlessly scrupulous Brandeis deportment, it is imperative to take responsibility for our petty misdeeds and not succumb to the perpetual urge to blame the big, bad University.