The new Chapel Café program, hosted by Chapel and Spiritual Life, is located in the chapel reception rooms and is running through the rest of the semester from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, featuring free snacks, coffee and board games.
The café’s first day occurred on Sept. 19 and was hosted by Alex Serna-Wallender, Trinity University chaplain, along with a team of six students.
“It seemed like there was possibly a need here to provide a third space for those looking for somewhere to be and belong. We have free snacks and self-serve coffee, tea and other drinks, so students can hang out, play games with their friends or study,” Serna-Wallender wrote in an email. “It will be staffed by two student hosts with gifts for hospitality and who will work to make sure that this is not only the kindest place on campus but also that there are coffee, tea and tasty treats available throughout the evening.”
As this is the beginning of the inaugural year of the Chapel Café program, its offerings are still evolving. Alicia Brechin, senior religion major and supervisor of the program, discussed a few suggestions they received in the first week.
“They [the students] liked our setup and the atmosphere, which is what we’re going for. But a few suggest they kind of want a separation of gaming space and study space,” Brechin said. “[They said] it was a great place to play games, but [there were] not a lot of tables to play the games on.”
As the program continues to grow, Brechin said that understanding people’s limitations will be essential for effective management and enhancing the experience of students.
“We had around 14 people at one time, but we have plenty of space for it, so it can be however many people come,” Brechin said. “We currently do not know our maximum capacity, but it’s also like a come and go space, because we also provide mugs and to-go cups.”
While the first week received some positive feedback, there were challenges they faced during the preparation period. Trinity Chapa, sophomore business and economics major and supervisor of Chapel Café program, also described their future plans since the chapel is undergoing renovations next summer.
“We’re still waiting for some more tables to come in and trying to figure out ways to market ourselves a little bit more. I know the chapel is going through renovations next summer, so we should be able to find a bigger space,” Chapa said. “In the future, we’re going to have a designated games room and study room because we have it separated into two reception rooms.”
Chapa recently stated the limited promotion of the Chapel Café, which relied mainly on flyers, the LeeRoy newsletter and word of mouth, but the café saw over 20 students at one time, and they look forward to its continued growth in the future.
“We’re looking for new coffee tables, new chairs and couches, and trying to make it like a coffee shop. It’s quiet, but not too quiet, dim lights, lo-fi music in the background for study and board games for a social area,” Chapa said. “Typically, the later hours are when people start coming in more. Last night [Friday Sept. 20] at nearly 10:15 p.m. is when they had more than 20 people in the room at once. It was a great time to hang out and meet new people.”
