24-Hour Starbucks

By Broadside Staff Writer Hayley Roder

Illustration by Lindsey Smith.

Come mid-August this year, George Mason University students will be able to sip Frappuccinos and study forensics at all hours of the night with the opening of the Starbucks location in Northern Neck. As confirmed by a Student Government press release, the coffee shop will be open 24 hours.

“Not often are you able to address two needs with one project. With the 24-hour Starbucks we were able to do that by providing both [a] 24-hour study location and dining option,” said Student Body President Zack Golden. Golden and Student Body Vice-President Claire Forman have long been lobbying for such an initiative at the urging of the student body.

The Starbucks location in Northern Neck, which will offer the same menu as its off-campus locations, will be open 24 hours Sunday through Thursday and from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

“I’m quite excited about a 24-hour study area,” said freshman graphic design major Scott Jemielity. “I think it will be a fun place to relax and get some work done.”

Starbucks will provide an alternative to Jazzman’s as a study area for students who enjoy a relaxed and friendly coffee shop atmosphere by providing comfortable seating and a fireplace. One of these students is freshman global affairs major Laura Jasso. “I think it’s a great idea to have a coffee shop [like Starbucks] on campus—especially when they play relaxing music because it makes it so much easier to study and to do homework,” she said.
The project will be funded through the Auxiliary Enterprise Management Council, who, along with the budget and planning committee, approved the initiative. According to the press release, “AEMC money is surplus money from Auxiliary Enterprises, such as dining, parking and Patriot Center revenue that is re-invested back into the university to fund projects that directly improve student life at Mason.”
Current plans for the Starbucks indicate 55 seats within the coffee shop. Once completed, an outside patio area is expected to provide seating for between 30 and 40 people.
Applications for barista positions were collected earlier this semester. Students are expected to fill the majority of the coffee shop’s positions.