There is no such thing as a free lunch, but last spring at Plymouth State University you could get a free cup of coffee. Sodexho invited students, faculty, staff and visitors to participate in a blind coffee tasting event at the Fireplace Lounge in the HUB.
The taste test was to select a coffee for the new café in the Lamson library. Sodexho offered eight different varieties of coffee ranging from local favorites, regional brewers and nationally recognized brands. Once the votes were tallied, the top five coffees were selected to be placed in various locations on campus.
Café Monte Alto’s coffee is found in Prospect Dining Hall and at catering events. Mad River Roaster’s coffee is sold at the Mountain View Snack bar. The regional brand, Green Mountain, is in the Sidewalk Café. In the Langdon Woods café, The Woods, Seattle’s Best coffee is served. Finally, Starbucks coffee will be provided in the Commons Café, in the new café located in Lamson Learning Commons.
For many of our students, it was important to make sure the coffee selection was Fair Trade certified. According to the Fair Trade Federation website, Fair Trade is an agreement between marketers in North America and producers in other countries to follow certain guidelines like paying a fair wage in local context, equal employment opportunities, and providing healthy and safe working conditions
The process for having a café in the library began 16 months ago when the decision was made to revamp the library from the outdated quiet research center to the campus’ new media central. Sodexho worked closely with the library personnel to create a cozy café atmosphere without sacrificing the importance of accomplishing work in a study environment.
“The thought process behind the project was that every year more and more people were not using the library because they were going online elsewhere,” recalls Chris Mongeon, General Manager of Sodexho. “In order to attract the students to the library, PSU brought all the media together and added the Commons Café.”
The café has three bar-height tables with four chairs surrounding each. Along the left wall of the room, two computers sit on a counter with chairs for guests to use the Internet. Chris Mongeon believes that above the computers there will be a communications board that people would be able to post upcoming events, for-sale items, and so on.
In the middle of the café is the two-way counter that separates the in and out ordering from the library. The two-room setup is to prevent students and guests from forgetting to checkout books.
“The Commons Café is going to be a great place to hang out at, for both undergrad and grad students with all it has to offer,” states Dwight Fischer, Chief Information Officer.
The café will serve eight different flavors of Starbucks coffee in decaf or regular. A Starbucks barista machine makes ordering drinks like lattes, cappuccinos, and espressos possible.
Limited bakery items will be offered: muffins, scones, and croissants. A soup, salad, and sandwich of the day will be available with the possibility of a larger selection if demand the calls for it.
To pay for Starbucks coffee and food, students can use cash or credit. They can use flex cash or as Chris Mongeon shared, “Those with a meal plan can choose an exchange meal to replace a dining hall visit.”
Now that the library allows food and drink throughout, it will be equipped with more trashcans. Dwight Fischer explains that the message, “Leave no trace” will be visible throughout the library. Plymouth State University has adopted the slogan to remind visitors of the library of the importance of cleaning up after themselves, not only in the library but on campus and in the community as well.
“I think the Commons Café is good,” said junior Nate Jackman, “because it is more convenient for students who live of the south side of campus to get some food.”
The Commons Café allows the students and visitors to complete work without being inconvenienced to leave the building to get food and beverages.
The Lamson Learning Commons will be having its grand opening on September 29, 2006 in the library from 10 Р11:30 a.m. The Commons Caf̩ will be serving free coffee and refreshments. The hours of operation for the Commons Caf̩ are Monday РFriday 7:30 a.m. Р1:30 p.m. and Sunday РThursday 5:30 Р10:30 p.m.