Walking into French Creek Coffee last week was not unlike walking into Grounds For Change on a weekday: students were honed into their laptops, earbuds in, steadily sipping cup after cup of coffee.
Nearly every chair in their main floor cafe was occupied by students who may or may not know each other, but shared a common goal. It was understood, after all, that we were all there for the same reason: Wi-Fi. Like bees to a flower, we students clamored for any drop of sufficient connection, and caffeine only hastened our pace.
Beyond the chaos of completing our assignments before the doors closed at 5 p.m. and we had to retreat to our Wi-Fi-barren campus, it was nice to see Meadville bustling with Allegheny students.
On any given weekend in Meadville or during one of their frequent community events, it is not uncommon to see peers walking down the street, perhaps with French Creek in hand. But it was a new experience altogether to see Meadville, or French Creek at least, filled to the brim with Allegheny students.
Were we mostly there because we were desperate for functioning internet and because free coffee is like gold to our age demographic? Sure. But was it also because getting off of campus and, perhaps, having a reason to visit the small businesses nearby was enjoyable in its own right? I would say yes, that too.
For example, there’s a different atmosphere to Tim Horton’s — Allegheny’s latest partner in an indefinite line of Wi-Fi providers. Visiting there is not only limited to those who have cars — or friends with cars — on campus, but it’s a means to an end. You go there for the necessities and conveniences that the campus cannot offer, and not much more.
French Creek felt like being a part of something, and not just because it was a communal space for student frustration. It felt good to, in the most straightforward way, give Allegheny money to a small business. It felt even better to see French Creek’s pastry case nearly empty by 3 p.m.
I’m not calling any of us saints for taking up an offer of free coffee. But I am saying that, for those of us who are able, being a part of Meadville is something we should strive to do more often.
As wonderful as it was to see every seat full, it was just as disappointing seeing many of those same seats open on the Saturday following the announcement that the Allegheny-French Creek partnership would end.
It was inevitable, sure, but this kind of partnership was mutually beneficial for everyone involved. Students get coffee, and buying coffee supports local business? That’s not the kind of good practice that should end just because it’s no longer handed to us.
Again, all things considered, it isn’t feasible for all — or even most — of us to walk to Meadville and buy from these businesses on a regular basis. But I wish our integration into Meadville didn’t have to end. I hope, for all of our sakes, that it doesn’t stop here.
