Building a café in the Athletic Center is a positive step for the College. Since Val, Schwemm’s and the Mead Café are all concentrated on one side of campus, adding another food option to the other side of campus will be beneficial for students. Furthermore, a café will encourage the entire student body, not just athletes, to make full use of the wonderful athletic facilities. Those who eat at the café will be more exposed to the gymnasium and, therefore, could be more inclined and motivated to use a facility that’s open for the benefit of all students, not just athletes, and promote healthy lifestyles.
It’s easy to write this move by the College off as preferential to athletes. However, even though this café will surely be enjoyed by our sports teams after long, hard practices, there’s no doubt that everyone else who uses the weight room, participates in intramural and club sports or who happens to frequent areas near the gym will greatly benefit.
The healthy options available in the café will also encourage healthier eating habits in addition to more physical activity; selections like smoothies and shakes will add some much-desired variety to the campus cuisine choices. Instead of being able to only buy some greasy mozzarella sticks or an egg and cheese bagel during non-Valentine hours, you would have the choice to go to the café. This café is also a springboard for the availability of more healthy foods in the future.
Val gets more flack than it deserves and Schwemm’s is a more than adequate student café, but their food options are not always the most healthy ones. This new facility that will be situated on the balcony near the weight room will hopefully be a catalyst for future dietary changes in other facilities.
It is admirable that the College is still supporting new developments and further resources for students despite the recession. Donating the profits to the College and potentially to charities is also commendable. The café will also add another position for a student worker, which is significant because of the difficulty many students have encountered in finding campus employment.
Though we applaud this action by the College, we have some suggestions that we believe most of the student body would agree with. First, it’s imperative that the café stock reasonably-priced items. Many items at Schwemm’s are rather expensive, and although the convenience of its location on campus can sometimes override this, we hope that the new café in the gym is at least comparable in price to Schwemm’s, if not more reasonable. All in all, this is a good step forward, and it’s encouraging to see the College invest in itself and seek to improve student life and health.