Monday, August 21, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section D · Page 15
Students can get caffeine buzz, study in Lawrence coffeehouses
By Talia Rubenstein and Heather Allison Young Special to the Kansan
Not only are Lawrence coffee shops places to kick back and socialize, they serve as primary study spots for many University of Kansas students.
Some coffee shops attract students because they serve food all day long. Others offer a pleasant, smoker-friendly atmosphere that serves as a getaway from the monotony of studying at home.
Whatever they are looking for, any java junkie is sure to find a study niche.
Break. 17 E. Seventh St.
Java Break is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Coffee and food, such as sandwiches and bagels, are served around the clock. Smoking is permitted but is allowed only in one of the four, dimly lit rooms. While the hours make it a great study spot for night owls and early birds, late-night, after-the-bar crowds that come in to socialize can distract people trying to concentrate.
Milton's, 920 Massachusetts St.
The typically bustling atmosphere of Milton's has a reputation for attracting study groups. Functioning as a restaurant, fully stocked bar and coffee shop, Milton's attracts a variety of people coming to eat, drink, socialize and study. Some students find it unappealing as a place to study because it is open until 11 p.m. and the full-service wait staff makes it a more formal setting than most coffee shops. It is a non-smoking facility, and people looking for a place to study on the weekend may want to steer clear of Milton's because it often hosts bands on Friday and Saturday nights.
Rob Baumgartner, chef, said students who come to Milton's to study were campers, because they usually didn't eat. They just sat for a few hours, drinking their coffee.
Aimee's, 1025 Massachusetts St.
A newcomer to Lawrence.
Aimee's is located inside an
antique store. Smoking is permitted and seating is limited. Its open until midnight on Mondays and closes at 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Aimee's features a happy hour from 3 to 4 p.m., when espressos are half price. It serves soups, sandwiches and salads.
Almee's has been open for two months. Sarah Donegan, employee, said that the shop might expand its hours and add more tables for people to study.
Classic Gourmet, 3300 W. 14th St.
One of the few coffee shops not found on Massachusetts Street, Classic Gourmet offers a quiet environment for studying. Located in the strip mall on 15th and Kasold, Classic Gourmet is non-smoking and has limited seating. Baked goods are sold. From 7 and 9 p.m., all espresso drinks are half price. It is open until 10 p.m. every night.
Borders, 700 New Hampshire St. Because coffee shop customers can view its books and music, Borders has the best resource library in town. Open until 11 p.m. daily, Borders offers a non-smoking study environment. It serves sandwiches and salads.
Justin Howard, Liberal junior, said he liked the mellow environment of Borders.
"I like studying at Borders because it is too hectic to study at home," he said.
The coffee shop invites musicians to play some weekends.
"The music and the people who aren't studying can both be distractions," said Chris Rathmel, Wichita, senior, and Borders employee. "Although, there's usually an unspoken contract between people who are studying that they need to be quiet."
Java Dive. 10 E. 9th St.
Java Dive is open until 11 p.m. during the week and midnight on the weekends. Its capacity to host a large number of people who often come in to socialize, can make it noisy in the front room. People who need a lot of silence can either
study in the back room or in an enclosed room further back. Smoking is prohibited and delisstyle food is served all day long.
Jared Bartels, Olathe junior, said he liked Java Dive because it was casual.
"You can do your own thing without being interrupted too much," Bartels said.
There also are a number of places for people to plug in their laptops. A Java Dive employee said that the computer-friendly restaurant attracts a lot of master's and Ph.D. students coming in to write papers.
Henry's on Henry Street on 8th, 11 E. 8th St.
Henry's is open until 2 a.m. and smoking is allowed. The building is small. Serving sandwiches and sweets, its limited seating often results in having to turn customers away. Henry's is planning on opening up a full bar above the coffee shop.
La Prima Tazza, 638
Massachusetts St.
La Prima Tazza is nestled between Free State Brewing Co. and Liberty Hall, away from other coffee shops and restaurants.
The shop has a large selection of iced coffees to choose from, as well as the usual coffee, tea, and capuccino choices.
"If you want a really strong coffee, try ice cold Snow Tiger. It's really strong," said Tina Rigdon, Lawrence junior and employee.
Students like going to La Prima Tazza to study because it's small, fairly quiet, and it's non-smoking. Rigdon said she would study at the coffee shop because she liked the atmosphere and smell and it's fun to watch the activity on Massachusetts Street.
La Prima Tazza opens early for anyone needing an early buzz or students who want to get an early start at studying. The shop opens at 6:30 a.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 7:30 a.m. on Sundays. The doors close at 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and midnight Fridays and Saturdays.
Freshmen more likely to binge drink
By Melissa Davis Special to the Kansan
Data shows seniors, juniors even out study of college alcohol use
Freshmen. Listen up.
You run the risk of becoming a binge drinker.
Studies show underclassmen are more likely to be binge drinkers than other students.
A new Harvard study defines binge drinking as more than five drinks in one sitting for men and more than four for women.
Jannette Berkley-Patton, campaign director of the Wellness Campaign to prevent binge drinking, said that the problem with the binge-drinking definition was that it didn't define how long the student had been drinking or if the student drank on an empty stomach.
Berkley-Patton added that KU statistics show that freshmen and sophomores tend to drink more than upperclassman.
"Recent data shows that incoming freshmen drink at rates equal to and sometimes above the average KU student," she said. "Overall, the average student tends to drink less than our incoming freshmen."
Scott Gootee, Overland Park senior, said he was a binge drinker when he was a freshman.
"When I first arrived at college, I experienced a new liberation," he said. "I was finally away from my parents. And if you live with a collective amount of people in either a fraternity house or dorm, you get all excited about this new feeling of freedom. I think that one way it manifested itself was through drinking."
While some students like to tell "day after" stories. Many college students don't know the
dangers involved in binge drinking and how it can ruin someone's college experience.
William Dixon, physician at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said that a pattern of binge drinking posed great health risks.
"Alcohol irritates the esophagus, pancreas, liver and many other vital organs" he said. "It can lead to sexual dysfunction, anemia, loss of testosterone and have a direct effect on the heart and brain. If given enough exposure, other organs start to feel the effects as well."
Binge drinking could have short-term effects like missed school or work, which after awhile could lead to other long-term problems, like flunking out or unemployment.
Dixon said that binge drinking could also have other long-term effects.
"Binge drinking could lead to dependency on the drug which could later lead to cancers of the throat, certain stomach cancers, pancreas cancer and is even directly related to breast cancer in women."
There are other risks associated with binge drinking. Students are more likely to have unprotected sex, contract a sexually transmitted disease, be out of control and increase chances of injury to themselves and others. Dixon said.
According to doctors and recent statistics, the higher the average number of drinks students consume per week, the lower their GPAs.
Binge drinking can even affect relationships and schoolwork.
Chris Parra, Overland Park, senior, that said binge drinking directly affected his academic career his freshman year.
As soon as Parra began to drink responsibly, his GPA went up.
"I got all Cs," he said. "That can be directly contributed to hinge drinking."
"When you go out and binge drink, it's always that next day, when you can't function 100 percent because you consumed enormous amounts of alcohol the night before," he said. "Binge drinking the next day is one of the worst feelings because you really regret it. You don't do anything; you skip class and sleep until 2 in the afternoon."
To prevent binge drinking, Dixon said students could do a number of things. One would be to avoid drinking games.
"People will indulge if the point of game is to take as much (alcohol) as you can," Dixon said.
Students can also set limits, avoid drinking on an empty stomach, and recognize patterns and situations where bingeing could occur. Dixon said binge drinking was like putting on an anesthetic mask until you die.
Dixon said that if a student was aware of the consequences of binge drinking then he or she was less likely to do it. She said that impairment shouldn't be part of alcohol consumption.
While Dixon said that an occasional binge didn't mean a student was an alcoholic, binge drinkers were at risk for becoming one, especially if binge drinkers drank to get drunk.
Dixon said that binge drinking affects men and women and that in college, men were more at risk to be binge drinkers. KU studies show that men tend to drink more than females: two to four drinks more per sitting.
The purpose of the KU Wellness campaign is to reduce binge drink by showing the fact that not all college students binge drink.
According to Wellness statistics, most KU students drink in moderation.
"Now, if our freshmen drank in this range we will be encouraged because at least they will be staying safe," Berkley-Patton said.
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