Finals are almost here and students can be seen crowding around study spaces and cramming in the Goldfarb Library basement, living on coffee and sometimes little food.
In the midst of studying, students would undoubtedly appreciate the convenience of food and drink in the library. Recognizing this need, the University and food services company Aramark are looking into placing a new coffee shop in the Goldfarb Library. This board applauds Dining Service's efforts to meet the needs of the Brandeis community and continue improving the functionality of the campus.

Last year, Dining Services added a similar satellite food location in Olin-Sang. In addition to providing sandwiches, coffee and drinks, this station is conveniently placed among traffic so students can stop by in-between classes instead of running to the Usdan Student Center. Similarly, the most ideal location for the caf?(c) in the library is the green room in the Farber Library, where students already eat and talk freely. As the room already functions as a place for students to congregate and interact, the coffee stand would be able to provide students with a place to continue meeting while also enjoying food and drink.

However, we discourage the University from building a station similar to the one in Olin-Sang in the library because it would not serve a similar purpose. The library is close to the Provisions on Demand Market in Usdan, which sells coffee and snacks. Therefore, simply adding pots of coffee, hot water and maybe some baked goods to the library, while helpful, would be somewhat superfluous.

Instead, we encourage the University to build a caf?(c) that adds style and ambience to the library. It must offer novel goods to students while also creating a welcoming study atmosphere. In that spirit, the coffee shop should, to some extent, emulate the relaxed caf?(c) atmosphere of Cholmondeley's. Such an establishment would not be redundant, as Chums, situated on the side of Usen Castle, no longer attracts crowds in the way it once did.

Furthermore, the new establishment would be able to cater to an already existent population of students in the library. Therefore, although the primary purpose of the shop will be to provide coffee and other drinks to students, we encourage the University to utilize this station to create a warmer, more comfortable environment where students can study. The green room is the perfect space for such a caf?(c).

The library already serves a natural, central purpose on this campus. Adding a caf?(c) or similar dining establishment within its walls would greatly serve to benefit the student body overall. We are pleased that the University is pursuing such an option and hope that similar ideas that work to benefit students everyday lives will be envisioned in the future.