It’s a weeknight. It’s getting late. You’ve done your statistics homework. What would be really nice is a place on campus to hang out with friends, drink coffee, and hear a band. Starbucks is within walking distance, but it’d be preferable to stay on campus. There used to be an on-campus answer to this dilemma: the co-op. In fall of 2002, a cooperative organization was run in the Underground of Founders Hall, in the space where Jazzman’s, now Grill 155, used to be. The student-run co-op served coffees and other small snacks, emphasizing the sale of organic foods and fair trade.
Since Jazzman’s closed early, with no staff available to cover the late-evening hours, students were allowed to use the equipment to brew the coffees and run their own business. Guilford students could gather in that area and drink coffee, enjoy local talent, and create a sense of community.
As the co-op’s business became more successful, Jazzman’s was dwindling. To answer Sodexho’s concerns about poor business, they replaced Jazzman’s in spring 2004 with a food-service alternative to the cafeteria. Today Grill 155 sells fries, burgers, and all kinds of “quick-fix” foods that fill your belly and use your Quaker Cash.
Since Jazzman’s closed, the co-op has become homeless and is temporarily shutdown. The administration proposed a new solution: relocate the co-op to the basement of Mary Hobbs.
Many upperclassmen felt that the administration handled the situation unfairly. These students thought that the central location in Founders encouraged more participation. For this reason, some ceased participating.
“Basically when the administration asked for our opinions and tried to encourage us to move to Hobbs, they were really trying to tell us that it was not an option and it was going to happen,” said senior Matt McGuire. “Much of the original vision of the co-op has already been lost in this process and can never be understood again.”
Kammaleathahh Livingstone, however, sees it differently. She, along with several other students, is part of a group working hard to finish renovations and re-open the co-op, with the same goals in mind.
The Guilford College Student Cooperative Association (GCSCA) has a new mission statement that aims to clarify the purpose and goals of the group’s existence. They “sponsor the promotion, implementation, and expansion of Cooperatives at Guilford College.”
While the closing of Jazzman’s forced the co-op to move and start from the beginning in Hobbs, Livingstone feels that it “avails the GCSCA in ways that the location in Founders could not.”
“It may be beneficial for the co-op to have its own space and equipment so that it won’t be at the mercy of being bumped again,” said McGuire.
The basement of Mary Hobbs is currently being remodeled; $50,000 was granted to the remodeling by the school. Increasing support by President Kent Chabotar has led to this advanced funding. In addition, Sodexho has donated equipment to the new co-op from the old Jazzman’s.
At this point, the question on everyone’s minds is: when? GCSCA student leaders, administration, and faculty are working diligently to complete everything as quickly as possible. At the latest the GCSCA hopes to open the coffee shop when students return from Spring Break.