The Observer, October 14, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 7
SAGES café opens, aims to create social and academic atmosphere
The SAGES café, on the first floor of Crawford Hall, is an added feature to the new experiential learning program of SAGES this year. Now serving coffee as well as desserts from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., the café features a large study area and staff who are able to aid students and faculty with questions and concerns with SAGES.
The baristas, or as they're called at the SAGES café, sagistas, are very knowledgeable about the SAGES program. "We not only serve up a great cup of coffee, but also information about the program," sagista Rebecca Kapika said.
Because Crawford Hall is mainly for faculty, the sagistas have been busy informing professors about the program, but as more students are becoming aware of the café, the sagistas have been working to inform students. "[the sagistas] have been helping more and more students navigate the system," Kapika said. Café coordinator Vera Tobin added, "They're happy to help anyone track down answers to any questions about SAGES. If they don't know the answer already, they'll find out who does."
The purpose of the café is to serve as a social anchor for the SAGES program, according to Tobin. The goal is to have students study and meet in a friendly atmosphere. "The seminar model works best when it extends beyond the classroom " we'd like people not necessarily to feel like they all have to scurry off in separate directions the second class ends," Tobin said.
The café also aims to foster the relationships between students that SAGES has initiated. It also allows for facilitation between faculty and students because of the location.
"Cafés are great at making it almost effortless for people to come into contact with each other in productive and inspiring ways, which is what SAGES is all about.. .We want the whole space to add up to more than the sum of its parts." Utilizing the SAGES philosophy, the café encourages a family atmosphere that grows outside of the intellectual environment of the classroom.
The environment is conducive to meetings between professors and students and interactions that spark intellectual conversation that extend beyond the classroom.
Besides the social atmosphere, the café also delivers a variety of caffeinated specialties. Currently, it is the only café in Ohio to serve Peet's Coffee and Tea. "The human body is a machine for turning caffeine into research," Dean of Arts and Sciences Mark Turner said.
