6 • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ACADEMICS
B
THURSDAY,OCTOBER 24,2002
Late-night eateries attract study crowd
By Jenna Goepfert
jgoepfert@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
It was just after 11 p.m. Lights shone dimly and oldies played over the speakers at Perkins Restaurant, 1711 W. 23rd St.
Crouched over her auditing textbook, Jamie Tangney had just settled in her booth.
Tangney, Wichita graduate student, has made a ritual of studying at the 24-hour diner after coffee shops close.
"Having other people around keeps me motivated," she said. "Plus, if I stayed home, I think I'd just go to bed."
Manager Nadine Peaches said Tangney was not alone in her pursuit of 24-hour academic productivity.
Coffee shops and restaurants that stay open after midnight attract after-hours studying crowds.
Snacks, coffee, distractions and, in some cases, the fact that smoking is allowed, are the main reasons why those places are more popular than home or the
"Most of the time I think they feel guilty for not getting anything, so they get coffee so they can stay awake."
Heather Hodges Munchers Bakery employee
library for some students.
"We have regulars that come in and study." Peaches said. "We have some that we see on certain days."
night.
She said the crowds usually increased during midterms and finals, but the daily study crowd began coming in around dinnertime and often stayed al!
Peaches said the distractions of a public place made 24-hour dinners and coffee shops more appealing.
"When I used to study, I liked to be somewhere there's noise," she said.
In a nearby booth, Lindsey Weinstein and Melanie Wallach flipped through their textbooks.
Weinstein, Tarzana, Calif., sophomore said the promise of caffeine and lack of the comforts of home kept her coming back.
24-HOUR STUDY LOCALES
International House of Pancakes, 3102 Iowa St.
Java Break, 17 E. Seventh St., serves hot food until 1 a.m.
Munchers Bakery, 925 Iowa St.
Perkins Restaurant, 1711 W.23rd St.
Steak & Shake, 3111 Nieder Road.
"Ilike the music, too," said Wallach, St. Louis junior, as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons crooned "Big Girls Don't Cry."
Across town at Munchers Bakery, 925 Iowa St., employee Heather Hodges studied in peace.
"It's quiet and we have caffeine," she said of the bakery's benefits.
The 24-hour bakery was empty that evening—a rare phenomenon, Hodges said.
She said people studying frequented the bakery from about 8 p.m. until midnight, smoking cigarettes and cramming for tests.
"Most of the time I think they feel guilty for not getting anything, so they get coffee so they can stay awake," she said.
Julie Maddox, Kansas City, Mo., senior and Pete Cridland, Chicago senior, settled in for the long haul at a back room in Java Break, 17 E. Seventh St.
The two said they came to the coffee shop at least once a week and regularly studied there until about 3 a.m.
They said the atmosphere made it easier to stay awake and on-task.
"You have no reason to turn on the TV because there isn't one," Maddox said. "No roommates, no million trips to the refrigerator."
Coffee by his side, Andrew Shernuk slouched in a chair in the corner of Java Break and studied national security.
Shernuk, Overland Park sophomore, said he studied at the coffee shop regularly—including a marathon term-paperwriting session last semester.
"I got out of here at 3:30 a.m.," he said. He had started writing a 25-page paper at 7 p.m.
Shernuk said he liked the availability of his 24-hour study environment and studied better in active settings.
"Maybe it's a psychological condition, but silence doesn't suit me well," he said.
- Edited by Amanda Sears
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