The Green Bean, Occidental’s student-run cafe, resurrected ideas to collaborate with student organizations after the COVID-19 pandemic paused these opportunities, Green Bean scheduling manager Libby Anderson (senior) said.
Before the pandemic, the Green Bean crafted themed beverages to raise money for specific causes or used the cafe as event space. The current managing team decided to bring it back, Anderson said.
“It took some time for us to get back again after COVID, making sure we could run things smoothly,” Anderson said. “We’re ready to be here for our peers and foster the communities that already exist on campus.”
The Comparative Studies of Literature & Culture (CSLC) Student Association collaborated with The Green Bean Oct. 13 and used the cafe as an event space for an open mic night. Bea Frum* (junior), one of the leaders of the CSLC Student Association, said she worked with Green Bean employment manager Daniel Antonson (junior) over the summer to brainstorm possible ways that the Green Bean and CSLC students could work together to put on an event.
“Last Spring, we hosted a book exchange and it went really well,” Frum said. “Peter and I talked over the summer about possible events that we could do. An open mic night came up because we were inspired by Oxy students’ creativity and their passion for writing.”
Beyond raising awareness for students, Peter Charkalis (junior) and co-head of the CSLC Student Association said this helped raise awareness for ASOC funding for their association.
“I’ve talked to some other club runners, and I think it’s showing them what they can do to utilize the Green Bean space,” Charkalis said. “I also think that having this be part of the club and doing events made Oxy feel like more of a college experience, having events and fun stuff to do after hours that isn’t necessarily related to class.”
According to Hunter Leong (senior), the Green Bean’s programming and customer experience manager, this kind of mutually beneficial experience was important for the cafe. He said this year’s goal was to work more closely with SLICE to help highlight interesting things on campus.
“The Green Bean wouldn’t be the Green Bean if we didn’t showcase student life,” Leong said. “We’re definitely a student-focused community.”
Antonson said these events take a lot of planning and preparation. Beyond just holding the event space for clubs, Antonson said Green Bean managers do all they can to assist in running the event smoothly. During the CSLC event, managers Antonson and Anderson made drinks and assigned waiter shifts to Green Bean staff.
“It was important to show everyone our dedication to an event,” Antonson said. “Hopefully, it encourages more things like it in the future.”
The Green Bean supported the Armenian Students Association (ASA) through their themed drink “The Color of Pomegranates,” made with Jasmine green tea and pomegranate syrup. ASA President Rachel Iskanian (senior) said that she wanted to do a themed drink to raise awareness for the ethnic cleansing in Armenia since the Green Bean is such a prominent student hub.
“There’s always people in there and I see a lot of other clubs and [organizations] posting their stuff by the counter or on the board and it seems to gain a lot of traction,” Iskanian said. “Every time I go in and I see something, I pick it up and look at it. We felt like this would be a good space to get our voices heard and hopefully generate some funds for the fundraiser as well.”
Iskanian said pomegranates are the national fruit of Armenia, and they are symbols in many Armenian folk tales, representing abundance. According to Iskanian, the proceeds from the drink’s sales go to the Armenian Relief Society, and she hopes that these funds help the refugees from Artsakh.
If someone is interested in using the Green Bean to help their club, managers Leong, Anderson and Antonson said they highly recommend planning ahead. Antonson said the CSLC event was something in the works for a long time and that allotted amount of time helped the event succeed. Leong said since the Green Bean can only really fit in highlighting six to eight clubs per semester, its collaborations should have a lasting impact on the student body.
“Once I leave the Green Bean, I want it to still have this great recognition,” Leong said. “For administration, I want them to see how important it is to student life. It is more than just a coffee shop. People should know the Green Bean is a special place.”
Contact Eliana Joftus at joftus@oxy.edu
*Bea Frum is a former writer for The Occidental.
