Within 3 miles of Knox College’s campus there are 10 businesses specifically for the buying and selling of coffee products. Yet there is nothing of the sort on campus. 

Many students rely on their daily caffeine intake to stay alert and awake during classes, especially when they have morning classes, or after a late night due to either workload or personal life.

With the number of these stores that are thriving within such a short distance from each other, there must be many students and locals who frequent these establishments. It seems that many students prefer coffee shops such as the Beanhive and Innkeepers, which are within walking distance from campus. Many of our students don’t have cars on campus, so they rely on the ability to walk to businesses they frequent.

Due to these travel restrictions, during the colder months, people often prefer to stay closer to their residences, favoring the warmth indoors to the harsh weather outside. 

There have been several conversations within dining services about such a campus coffee possibility, including talk last year about converting the bookstore into a cafe. Nothing has come to fruition yet. However, with their continued action trying to implement such a possibility, clearly our dining services agree that it would be beneficial to have coffee on campus. 

There has been a lot of anticipation about the coffee station in Post Lobby that has been in the works nearly all of this year. According to Dining Services Chair, sophomore Arun Rajbhandari, it will likely not be opened this term as there have been issues with some machines and parts that are necessary for the construction. 

Although this has been a highly anticipated project there has been little communication with the student body about its progress. Even further, most students aren’t even sure what the station would consist of. What is realistic to expect from such a small station, and what sort of options will be available?

Students may not be able to afford frequenting outside establishments on top of the boarding fees on campus. Though there are some coffee options available in the Hard Knox Cafe and Gizmo, people often prefer more variety in their beverage choices. With both specialty flavorings and more variety in types of drink, it’s hard to measure against a plain coffee. Based on the money students are paying for their food and drink, shouldn’t more coffee options be included? 

Hopefully our dining services will continue to work on resolving this absence. And even more, hopefully the issues that are delaying the construction process and opening of the coffee station doesn’t cause the project to be delayed further, abandoned or forgotten.