6 November 2018
Logan Davel
Those who drink coffee, either recreationally or for psychiatric support, might have noticed a distinct change to the coffee venues on campus these past few weeks. A new and unwelcome face on the otherwise perfectly functional UCCS coffee system, otherwise known as Dazbog.
Imagine my dismay when I strolled up to Sanatorium Grounds and came face to face with a completely new front, complete with new coffee, smiling faces under merchandised hats and worst of all, higher prices. That’s right, the horror that every coffee addict fears since the rise of the coffee industry: higher prices.
This change to the Dazbog suppliers came almost completely out of the blue. After polling a few of my fellow caffeine dependents, I was able to conclude that not only did a single person not expect such a change.
With this change came a completely different taste, feel and price. No longer could I enjoy the hazelnut or french vanilla roast that had accompanied my mornings, nor the medium roast of my afternoons. Rather, I found the standard drip-coffee alternative they offer to be rather acidic more often than not. This sentiment is not mine alone, as I’ve heard this opinion spreading throughout the morning crowd.
The problems don’t stop with mere changes to flavor. The prices have increased as well. This might not concern the more recreational of coffee drinkers, those who drink to merely wake up in the morning, but the same cannot be said for the rest of the coffee drinkers at the school. Seniors and research students, to name only a few, feel the effect much more heavily.
The solution to this problem is simple. Widely and more apparently poll the student body on the matter. Students, who partake in our campus coffee, in astronomically greater numbers than the administration, should have a voice as to the type and quality of coffee provided. We are, after all, giving copious amounts of money to the administration regardless.
This polling solution has an unintended yet incredibly useful benefit: diversity. College students are the ones exploring the city and the coffee shops within. We’re studying, reading and conversing at some of the best coffee shops and roasters in Colorado Springs, each of us building a conscious, or unconscious, opinion of the coffee that we drink, the flavors we enjoy and the prices our shallow wallets can handle.
With such a diverse population in which to pull opinions from, it’s a shame that student voices weren’t accurately taken into consideration in the recent changes to UCCS coffee venues.