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University to Announce New Vendor for Campus Cafés
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The University ended its contract with Starbucks in July of 2023, following protests over the chains’ treatment of workers.
The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/libe_cafe/)
The University ended its contract with Starbucks in July of 2023, following protests over the chains’ treatment of workers.
The other day, after seeing dead leaves on the ground and feeling a slight breeze on my shoulders, I smelled it. Notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves mixed with the comforting and creamy flavors of coffee and milk. My legs took me to the nearest coffee shop to buy my favorite fall drink: the Pumpkin Spice Latte.
While at first glance, this mentality is harmless and even iconic of Cornell and American colleges, it can unveil a toxic culture that is ingrained into students and even normalized — one that pressures people into going out despite the many risks of partying.
The sight of students studying in Libe Cafe, drinks in hand, reminds passerby that Cornell Dining has transitioned to a “new normal.” While some COVID precautions remain in place, including masking when not dining and regular cleaning, more cafes have opened for dining in.
Stopping by a cafe on campus is not as easy as it has been in previous semesters, but students are still working time for sipping coffees and studying in their favorite cafe spots into their schedules.
The Saturday before break, while some students gathered at a friend’s apartment for Friendsgiving and others left early to head home for the holiday, the student baristas of Libe Cafe were celebrating by hosting their own “barista prom.”
I collapsed into a chair in Libe with my third coffee of the day in hand. It was a typical college experience: running on little to no sleep for the third night in a row, desperately trying to cling on to every single neuron as I tried to finish everything before I lost another night of sleep. As I let out a long sigh, my friend shot daggers at me with her eyes. “What?” I asked, not entirely hiding my exasperation. “This is the second plastic straw you used today,” she replied, angry at my apparent lack of environmentalist fervor.
Despite campus food insecurity, cafe food is regularly tossed — not donated.
This goes out to Peter Davis ’09, a fellow Glen Altschuler protégé, who both champions all of my column victories and also mostly just thinks I’m an idiot.
This is a piece of writing that is subversive. I want to tell you all a little fable about the little genius that could, but wouldn’t anymore. Maybe, you, then, Cornell masses, will mutiny and realize that you’re actually in COLLEGE. The land of beer and honeys. Stop crying to your dad on your cell phone in Olin café, vaguely trying to obscure your face with a copy of this fine publication. You do actually still get a degree from Cornell if you get B’s. Even C’s. Pull yourself together.