It seems strange to me that Oberlin is viewed as a progressive campus. Every time something changes, we reject it; we pick it to pieces. Case in point: Azariah’s Café. Although the library’s new coffee shop is not yet near perfect, as someone who works there, I wish that people would give it a chance. Pretend it’s a struggling student, or a baby chick. Something that needs a little tender lovin’ care. The place could use your suggestions; it’ll lap up all the helpful little tips you offer. Because unlike some things on this campus, here is one situation in which we have a palpable amount of control.
Need more to go on? Fortunately, I’m good at being optimistic. Here’s my top ten list for why you should patronize our fledgling coffee shop:

1) We have good coffee. Java Zone tries, God love it, but we need good coffee. And Azariah’s has the equipment to provide it.

2) It is not actually hard to put Obie Dollars on your card. Besides, would you really want someone like me handling your cash? Risky at best. And as for the no-Flex rule, Java Zone doesn’t take Flex either. What are they thinking?

3) Two words: espresso shots.

4) Obies are into organics, and Azariah’s is organic. It’s of the students, for the students (and faculty and staff and random lovely people).

5) We don’t size our drinks using the practically hieroglyphic and strangely pretentious “tall,” “grande” and “venti.”

6) Brace yourself: This is an area of the library where you can talk and listen to music.

7) You can fight over the New Yorker, because apparently that’s the only magazine Obies read. It’s never on the periodicals rack. Sometimes people hide it when they go to the bathroom.

8) Where else on campus can you expect to regularly find cheesecake and Black River muffins?

9) You can laugh at the fact that the student workers don’t speak register-ese. It’s amusing how this is a thing that’s just supposed to come naturally.

10) You’re hip, coffee’s hip, coffee shops are hip – just add a “-ster” and you’ve reached Obie nirvana.