Multiple changes within the last year as Dr. Senese has taken over as the 10th President of Saint Leo University. One change that will possibly resonate with the students the most is that there will be a Starbucks on campus. If everything goes to plan, this is expect in Fall 2019.
Dr. Melanie Storms, the Vice President of Saint Leo University, commented on the reason why the popular chain was chosen to come to the University Campus.
“Starbucks was chosen because of the popularity of the brand as well as the ease of establishing a ‘We Serve’ location compared to other brands,” said Dr. Storms. “This will be a ‘We proudly serve’ location, which means it will be our establishment serving Starbucks products and using Starbucks equipment. While a few colleges house actual Starbucks franchises, most are operated as ‘we serve’ locations. The primary differences are that Starbucks rewards are not recognized, and we control the food options and other details of the operations at the location.”
When asked about the opening date of the coffee shop, she stated they were looking at a Fall semester opening if all goes as plan. Another opportunity is the leadership will be in control of the hiring student employment with the opening of the Starbucks on campus. Adding to this, Carlos Pena, a Biology major and Junior, believes that it is a good idea to bring a Starbucks on campus because hopefully, it can bring more chains on campus.
Adding on from Dr. Storms, the administration is in the process of increasing their dining opportunities expanding the dining options on campus. Damon Davis, a senior, likes the idea of a coffee shop on campus because it is a place for dedicated coffee drinkers to get their coffee, but he does wish that this plan came out sooner.
It seems that Starbucks will have an impact on campus. As it is nearly impossible to get every students’ opinion, The Lions’ Pride Media Group decided to run a poll sending it out for the SLU community to vote if they wanted a Starbucks, Dunkin, or Cup of Organics on campus. Setting up the poll through The Lions’ Pride social media pages, there was a total of 168 votes. In the results, 38.1% voted for Cup of Organic, 34.5% voted Starbucks, and 27.4% voted for Dunkin’. Looking at these results, the small amount of the SLU community preferred Cup of Organic.
The Lions’ Pride ran a poll sending it out for the SLU community to vote if they wanted a Starbucks, Dunkin or Cup of Organics on campus.
Meghan Tapia a Biology major and Junior who is interested in Cup of Organic believes “Cup of Organic is family owned and has been part of the community for six years. The spirit of the company would align perfectly with our core value of community, rather than having a large chain company that you can get at just about any corner.”
Many students are most likely wondering where the new Starbucks might be located on campus. As of right now, there is not many details on the exact location, but it is known that it will be easy to access and centrally located. This Starbucks on campus will be closest to the Dade City area as currently the closest is in Wesley Chapel 8.6 miles away from campus. This brings the question if Starbucks is only accessed by students or the community outside will be able to come on campus and use it as well. According to Dr. Senese, Starbucks will be for the community outside of campus as well. The reason for this is to help build a strong relationship with the outside community hoping Saint Leo can get more recognition and support.
As the opening of the new Starbucks on campus inches closer, there appears to be positives that Starbucks will be bringing to our campus and community. However, Starbucks will not be called “Starbucks,” even though Starbucks products will be sold. As of right now, there is not a name for the new coffee shop. Dr. Jen Shaw and Dr. Storms are hoping students can give some ideas for the name. If anyone has any names, please share your thoughts to Jen.Shaw@ saintleo.edu for consideration.
