By Kelsey Cohen
Walking into the second floor of Cummings, one might notice that next to the wall-sized mosaic is a mysterious box, its window shuttered up, its door seemingly closed for good. This marks the remnants of a student-run coffee shop. At the moment, it is unoccupied and quiet.
Soon, however, it will be open once again, thanks to the efforts of a few Student Government Association (SGA) members.
The little shop was initially run by SGA and it is now the responsibility of SGA’s Academic and Social Spaces Commission. Over the years, the number of open hours began to decline, which led non-SGA affiliated students to open it for individual profit. The space has seen little consistency over the years.
SGA House Senators Freya Levett and Ipek Bakir and Vice President Bobby Romanow, are now working to reopen the coffee shop. The three recently visited Cummings to see what equipment was salvageable, but they found only what Romanow called a “disaster.” Nothing was useable. Deciding to start from scratch, the students met with Ingrid Bushwack of Dining Services to figure out what equipment is needed and how much it will cost.
Romanow, Levett and Bakir will soon present a proposal to the SGA Finance Committee with a budget for new equipment.
Romanow, as SGA Vice President, serves as chair of the SGA Finance Committee, but in this case will only present the proposed budget and will not take part in any deliberations about the coffee shop’s allocation.
Until the shop begins making a profit, SGA will rely on volunteers to take care of its everyday operations. Guaranteed and consistent pay is contingent on the success of the shop.
Initially, revenue will go toward maintaining the space. After employee salaries, any further profits will go towards the SGA, and could be distributed among a variety of SGA projects or funds.
Romanow emphasized that the Cummings Coffee Shop was not meant to compete with Coffee Grounds or the Blue Camel Café. The coffee shop is for students, rofessors and staff from South campus who aren’t within a comfortable walking distance of the other cafes on campus.
Lorelei Farntz, owner of the Blue Camel Café, thought that bringing a coffee shop to South was a great idea. Since Cummings is far from the Blue Camel Café, she doesn’t think her business will be directly affected by the new café.
“I don’t think of it as competition. It’s good for the students,” Farntz said.
Clara Euam ’12 agrees with Farntz. “As an art student, it’s good to be able to go to someplace nearby to get something to eat or drink, “ she said. “I think it will be a good thing to have available to us.”
Romanow said, pending SGA approval, the coffee shop will open for business as soon as the equipment is delivered. He is looking forward to opening the shop as “a place run by students, for the students.”
