The Real Truth about South Side Cafe
SGA responds to "Let Them Eat Ice Cream"
Rachel Frysztacki
Issue date: 4/30/09 Section: Opinion
As many have seen and heard, there has been plenty of conversation through the Swinging Bridge and word of mouth that changes are happening with the South Side Café (SSC). The Student Government Association (SGA) is grateful for the opportunity to clarify some of the information that you have been given which may not have been completely accurate.
This past Fall, SGA sent out a survey to the entire student body to determine what exactly students want from the café. During this survey, 81% of students agreed that the SSC should be a place for students to hang out that has food available to purchase, and that same amount stated that they would not at all want the café to stop selling food. Also, nearly 60% of students who took the survey responded that they would support SGA using a part of the $115 Student Activities Fee that students pay each semester and using that towards the café. Using these numbers, we determined that while the SSC has not been able to make a profit, it has benefited the students on campus, and students want the café to remain as a service to them.
That being said, SGA has also recognized that our mission and purpose is to be advocates for the needs and wants of students on campus, and we are not the most qualified group on campus to run a business. We also felt that much of our time was being devoted to the café, and that we could be using this time in a much better way to serve the students. Therefore, with a unanimous vote from Student Forum, SGA decided that Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) would be much more qualified to run the café.
SIFE is an organization on campus, and worldwide, that focuses on leadership, entrepreneurship, and business, making them the best choice to take on this new venture on campus for their own benefit and for the benefit of the café.
"The SIFE team members are normally students with a head for business and a heart for service. SIFE students have a number of projects in Harrisburg, local elementary and high schools and have helped people start businesses and improve their standard of living around the world. I am involved because I am thrilled that students are able to gain experiential learning to augment what they have learned in the classroom," explained SIFE advisor Professor Terry Earhart. This is clearly a great opportunity for SIFE students to implement the entrepreneurial skills that they have learned into a real business situation.
This past Fall, SGA sent out a survey to the entire student body to determine what exactly students want from the café. During this survey, 81% of students agreed that the SSC should be a place for students to hang out that has food available to purchase, and that same amount stated that they would not at all want the café to stop selling food. Also, nearly 60% of students who took the survey responded that they would support SGA using a part of the $115 Student Activities Fee that students pay each semester and using that towards the café. Using these numbers, we determined that while the SSC has not been able to make a profit, it has benefited the students on campus, and students want the café to remain as a service to them.
That being said, SGA has also recognized that our mission and purpose is to be advocates for the needs and wants of students on campus, and we are not the most qualified group on campus to run a business. We also felt that much of our time was being devoted to the café, and that we could be using this time in a much better way to serve the students. Therefore, with a unanimous vote from Student Forum, SGA decided that Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) would be much more qualified to run the café.
SIFE is an organization on campus, and worldwide, that focuses on leadership, entrepreneurship, and business, making them the best choice to take on this new venture on campus for their own benefit and for the benefit of the café.
"The SIFE team members are normally students with a head for business and a heart for service. SIFE students have a number of projects in Harrisburg, local elementary and high schools and have helped people start businesses and improve their standard of living around the world. I am involved because I am thrilled that students are able to gain experiential learning to augment what they have learned in the classroom," explained SIFE advisor Professor Terry Earhart. This is clearly a great opportunity for SIFE students to implement the entrepreneurial skills that they have learned into a real business situation.
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Khara H.
Khara House
posted 4/30/09 @ 5:25 PM EST
Does anyone remember Wilbur's? Though it stopped running before I actually started at Messiah (I think it closed in 03?), I remember going there; I remember being extremely disappointed when I found out it wasn't going to be there when I started as a student. (Continued…)
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