It is 10:45 p.m. and your stomach is growling after writing an essay for four straight hours. You look at your watch, realize Bruff is closed and sigh in a state of disbelief and agony at the thought of another hungry night.

Alas! Your campus-favorite convenient store is open and ready to serve, so you rush out of your dorm, run inside of Mac Mart, dart to the back of the frozen food section and grab a box of Bagel Bites. Anxiously, you throw the box on the counter and yell, “WaveBucks!” before the cashier is even able to ask. They ring your total: it’s $4.99.

“Is it worth it?” you ask yourself, aware that you get it at the nearby grocery store for almost $2 less. But your hunger speaks louder than your WaveBucks balance and you say, “Yes. Yes it is.”

McAlister Market, named after the street it’s on, is notorious for its expensive prices. As costly as its products seem, Mac Mart’s intentions lie in a plan to aid student life.

Mac Mart, formerly known as Bruff Stuff, was an idea by a group of students who wanted more funds for student organizations. The store was placed adjacently to Bruff Commons, and its name later changed to McAlister Market as it is known today. Its location offers a level of convenience along with a higher price to pay.

Currently, motivation money sponsors roughly 50 student organizations and rations out around $3 per documented member annually. Clubs range from Tulane Soundwave to Food Justice Advocates.

Many students say they feel this is an effective way of getting money to clubs they are a part of. Additionally, some say it is nice to know where the extra money in profits is going.

“It’s a good that we can find out where the money goes, instead of them saying that we’re gonna charge you more and not have any explanation for it,” says freshman Brittany Simone.

The motivation money fund is in conjunction with the student activity fee that all full-time undergraduate students are required to pay.