The Cafe Culture
When going to eat at Wikert Dining Hall the culture can be scary if you are an outsider, but once you are in the system you know exactly where you belong.
As a freshman, Hannah Sibbel was unsure when walking into the cafe at Morningside. “You could tell there was an arrangement, but I couldn’t pinpoint it right away.”
After Hannah met people, she quickly learned the system and where to sit. “I was taken back because people were at specific spots and I didn’t know that was a thing in college. Each sport had a spot.”
Emma Schmitz, a senior at Morningside, describes the cafe as “family-oriented in a weird way.” She likes how it has a system so you know where everyone is going, “Everyone has their own system and it just goes together, making it feel more homie like.”
Hannah describes the system to the cafe as “assigned seating that’s not assigned.” She describes what table belongs to who:
When walking into the cafe there are low circler tables, which is normally where band people sit.
The high tables next to the band people are where RA’s sit.
The long table by the salad bar is the soccer table.
The big, long table in the middle of the cafe is where the football team sits.
The circle tables in the middle are where dance and cheer sit normally.
The high tables in the middle are where swimmers sit.
The tables by the sandwich bar are where the baseball team sits.
On the far back wall near the door is where you can find the wrestlers.
And the far back corner is where the track team always sits.
A former Morningside student, Alex Schmitz says that the culture of the cafe has been the same ever since he was a freshman. Alex graduated in the year 2018.
“I don’t know how or when the system all started. I thought it was weird when I came to Morningside. I started to like it the more I got used to it.” Alex was a wrestler for Morningside. “Right when I entered the cafe I knew exactly where to sit, it is the same spot where the wrestlers sit to this day.”
Emma explained what it is like if someone sits not in their “assigned seat.” “If people outside of their sport and sit at another table people will look at you weird. And the sport that normally sits there will sit around you and make you feel unwelcome”, says Emma.
When sitting back and watching how the system works at the cafe, people from different groups mingle for a short amount of time but not long enough to sit down.
“It’s like going to a restaurant”, describes Emma. “When you go to the restaurant with your family and if you see someone you know at the restaurant you say “hi” and then go back to your table where you belong.”
While sitting at these specific places in the cafe people mingle about what the plans are for the weekend, what interesting things happened at practice, and catch up on the latest gossip.
“While I’m at the cafe, that is really when I connect with my friends,” said Hannah. “I get to know the people I’m around better, sometimes we just sit there for hours just talking and laughing about different things.”
As a freshman, Hannah Sibbel was unsure when walking into the cafe at Morningside. “You could tell there was an arrangement, but I couldn’t pinpoint it right away.”
After Hannah met people, she quickly learned the system and where to sit. “I was taken back because people were at specific spots and I didn’t know that was a thing in college. Each sport had a spot.”
Emma Schmitz, a senior at Morningside, describes the cafe as “family-oriented in a weird way.” She likes how it has a system so you know where everyone is going, “Everyone has their own system and it just goes together, making it feel more homie like.”
Hannah describes the system to the cafe as “assigned seating that’s not assigned.” She describes what table belongs to who:
When walking into the cafe there are low circler tables, which is normally where band people sit.
The high tables next to the band people are where RA’s sit.
The long table by the salad bar is the soccer table.
The big, long table in the middle of the cafe is where the football team sits.
The circle tables in the middle are where dance and cheer sit normally.
The high tables in the middle are where swimmers sit.
The tables by the sandwich bar are where the baseball team sits.
On the far back wall near the door is where you can find the wrestlers.
And the far back corner is where the track team always sits.
A former Morningside student, Alex Schmitz says that the culture of the cafe has been the same ever since he was a freshman. Alex graduated in the year 2018.
“I don’t know how or when the system all started. I thought it was weird when I came to Morningside. I started to like it the more I got used to it.” Alex was a wrestler for Morningside. “Right when I entered the cafe I knew exactly where to sit, it is the same spot where the wrestlers sit to this day.”
Emma explained what it is like if someone sits not in their “assigned seat.” “If people outside of their sport and sit at another table people will look at you weird. And the sport that normally sits there will sit around you and make you feel unwelcome”, says Emma.
When sitting back and watching how the system works at the cafe, people from different groups mingle for a short amount of time but not long enough to sit down.
“It’s like going to a restaurant”, describes Emma. “When you go to the restaurant with your family and if you see someone you know at the restaurant you say “hi” and then go back to your table where you belong.”
While sitting at these specific places in the cafe people mingle about what the plans are for the weekend, what interesting things happened at practice, and catch up on the latest gossip.
“While I’m at the cafe, that is really when I connect with my friends,” said Hannah. “I get to know the people I’m around better, sometimes we just sit there for hours just talking and laughing about different things.”
October 22nd, 2020 at 2:06 pm
Do Emma and Hannah have regular un-assigned seats? I think in addition to them, you should talk to some students who do sit in the same spot every meal. What drives them? Is there pressure from their athletic peers?
“The system” is also a nice organizing theme. Use it.
October 22nd, 2020 at 2:14 pm
Nice description of the cafeteria, you can get the idea of how things feel when you walk in.
October 22nd, 2020 at 2:23 pm
The thing that stands out to me the most is where you break down the cliques that occupy the cafe. I think there may be a way to reorganize that content together into a paragraph to make it more appealing to the reader.