The current fad seems to be to decry the closure of the Architecture Café. But what strikes me is that, while everybody is saying how terrible it is – students, The Daily, the SSMU – nobody seems to have made a thought-out evaluation, or to be proposing a concrete remedy for the Café’s financial problems.
The Admin are evil ogres who steal our rights and eat children alive at satanic rituals at the full moon. But are they? Keeping the café open may actually be a bad idea. (Big fat disclaimer: and the Admin may be wrong, and keeping the café open may actually be a very, very good idea.) Students, Daily, SSMU, I love you, but you sound SO one-sided and biased (sorry, but you do), so how can we trust your judgement? You may have spent ages evaluating the pros and cons of keeping the café, but then make it sound like that. You’re very happy to castigate the hateful, child-eating admin, but have you spent the time and consideration to write a detailed business plan proposing to save the café’s finances and explaining why your plan will work where all the others failed? No, you’re organizing protest rallies. Guys, the admin already know that many students liked the café. They don’t care because they think they know better. And they may be right: money is a big consideration. Are you seriously suggesting that you can succeed at making money where all have failed, or, if that’s impossible, that we students should subsidize this failing café?
Let me stress that I take no sides; I simply want people to be evaluative and realistic. I’ve been imposed brevity (grrr, annoying 300-word limit), but if anyone disagrees I’ll happily elaborate by submitting a more comprehensive commentary piece to The Daily.
Sam Baker
U1 Math and Economics (Joint Honours)