By Brielle Bryan and Elizabeth Zakaim
News Editors
The STEM Forum Café had its grand opening for faculty and students looking for a variety of foods and snacks to jump-start their first week of the spring semester on Jan. 22.
The STEM Café has an assortment of snacks available, including cereals, pop tarts, muffins, cookies and ice cream. The café also serves hot and cold beverages ranging from flavored coffee to juices and muscle milk.
The STEM Café also offers healthier options, such as apples, pears and oranges, as well as greek yogurt and Lean Pockets. The café even has vegan options such as pre-made vegetable wraps and salads.
“It’s definitely a quick grab and go,” said Patricia Cardoso, a senior biomedical engineering major.
Students not only enjoy the wide range of foods offered at the STEM Café, but also love its convenient location.
“The proximity will make it a great place to eat at, especially because we usually only have 10 minutes to eat in between classes,” said Maria Castaneda, a senior biomedical engineering major.
The STEM Building is home to the mechanical and biomedical engineering departments, as well as the Department of Computer Science. The café replaced KinetiCart in Armstrong Hall, which used to be the quick pit stop for science majors to grab meal equiv between classes.
The café’s atmosphere makes it an optimal place for students looking to sit, eat and soak up some warmth. The nearby windows let the sun seep in, which brightens up the room with natural light.
KinetiCart had no substantial seating area. Audrey Chen, a sophomore elementary education and math double major, said that she appreciates having ample space to sit and eat if she’s not in too much of a hurry.
“It feels warm even though it’s cold outside,” Chen said.
Castaneda and Cardoso both agreed that they would be frequenting the STEM Café for breakfast, and were happy to know that the café also offers sushi and hot soup during lunchtime.
The STEM Café accepts both points and meal equiv, making it more affordable for students with meal plans.
The STEM Café is currently working on getting Wi-Fi so students can simultaneously enjoy snacking and studying.
The STEM Café is open between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The café was scheduled to open in September, according to Patrice Mendes, the general manager of dining services on campus, but due to issues with construction, the café opened after winter break instead.
The idea for a café came about at the same time as developments of the new STEM Complex.
“In the very early stages in the planning for the building, it was determined that they’d like to have a café gathering area,” Mendes said.
By adding facilities like The STEM Café, the College has shown initiative to diversify its dining options in order to meet the demands of its students.
