One of the most common tropes about millennials is that they are glued to their screens. Walking around Auburn's campus, students can be found with laptops open, phones nearby and televisions blaring.
This new reality, complete with ubiquitous technology, has found suspension in a staple of college life: the coffee house. Auburn offers several options for social engagement and conversation at various venues including The Bean, Coffee Cat, Mama
This does not suggest that screens do not exist in such places – coffee houses are popular study spots complete with sticker-clad MacBooks. But, the warm atmosphere is something many students feel Starbucks or the library could never seek to replicate.
“I prefer to go to the coffee house because it’s a friendly and homey environment," said Sara Martin, student in veterinary medicine. "It’s a great place to go for
Millennial social culture often dictates that it is acceptable to interact with strangers on the internet, but interacting with those same strangers in person is met with apprehension and even judgment. At the coffee house, the opposite is often true.
“I went to The Bean for my new job’s orientation with all of the new hires," said frequent patron Eli Hiskey. "It was great because we got to know each other, and it was better than just going to the Student Center or something.”
Martin said this reinforces the idea that coffee houses offer a rare space for patrons to let their guard down and engage with the people around them.
Ross Coffee House also features a community bookshelf where customers are welcome to leave and take books at their leisure.
On any given day, one can find a student video chatting with a friend from home in one room, a book club meeting hosted in another room and live music from local artists in the back.
While the Starbucks drive-thru may be easy or the library convenient, students feel the coffee house celebrates the tradition of community. Students find the Auburn community to be vibrant, and the coffee house offers a chance to look away from a screen and across the table.
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