Last Wednesday, the Washburn Student Government Association hosted a Coffee Night, to rally support for a coffee house on campus.

While there are good intentions with this project, it isn’t needed. Students have been trying to get a coffee house on campus for years now, and it has failed every time – not the right place, not enough money.

Josh Shald and Molly Shea have been pretty well-known to make things happen this year, so I don’t believe the logistics would be a problem with it this time around.

The problem lies in the need for something like this.

First, Chartwells is already selling coffee in three locations on campus – Stauffer Commons, the Corner Store and the libation station in the Law School. Another coffee shop would only put more money in the pockets of the Chartwells corporation.

Second, after talking to quite a few students, I believe what they really want is a place that is open 24 hours a day on campus. Placing it in the proposed place of Mabee Library won’t keep the coffee shop open 24 hours for students to study. Such hours would mean a major increase in the library budget, and that doesn’t look to be happening anytime soon.

Rather, we need to talk to the developers of the College Hill district to rally for another local coffee shop. The College Hill developers rode off of student support of the district last year, and I’m betting they are more than willing to listen to us again when it comes to what we want there. Once this development project is done, we will be encouraged to go to the area to eat, shop and be entertained.

If students still wanted a place on campus open 24hours, our money and WSGA’s time would be much better spent rallying the Memorial Union to stay open 24 hours. Students have also been trying to do that for years, as they want to encourage more students to hang out here in their free time. We already have the building. It already has the dining areas. It even has coffee. Let’s use the resources we have and help contribute to the College Hill area at the same time.