I would like to begin this letter by thanking you, students of this university, for your outpouring of support regarding the matter of the Architecture Café. It warms our hearts to know that, despite our faculty’s detachment from the rest of the student body, our cause is not lost on you. Thank you. We appreciate you. Moreover, a special thanks for those of you who have taken the time to write articles for the Daily, the Tribune, the McGill Reporter, Le Délit, and even Concordia’s paper, the Link—we needed to get the word out, and you were all quite successful in that respect.
It is important to tell this story from my point of view, if not from that of the all of the students in Architecture. Please bear in mind that this might not be the opinion of the Architecture Students’ Association, the Engineering Undergraduate Society or the Students Society of McGill University. It is, however, the opinion of a former ASA president, former Café manager, alumnus, and curent graduate student.
Our curriculum and pedagogy isolates Architecture students from the rest of the university. We have very few electives outside Architecture, we tend to work a lot, and we operate on a schedule that is not always normal. As the semester draws on, we lose touch with our friends on the outside, and even those on the inside who don’t happen to be sitting right beside us in studio. However, we have had, since 1993, if nothing else, at least one tether to the world at large: the Architecture Café. And we understand that the Architecture Café does not, in any way, belong to the Architecture students. Yes, we might eat there, we might run operations and work there, and we might be the ones who do the dishes , at the end of the day, but besides that, have you ever seen any of us sitting there? No. The Architecture Café is a gathering place of students of arts, geography, political science, music and more. And we love it for that. We love it for belonging to everyone. We love it because all are at home there—students and faculty alike, no matter their background. The Café is an oasis of individuality and placeness (architecture reference, look it up), in an often sterile and detached university environment. No place like it exists on campus, and therein lays its value.
Furthermore, there are fewer and fewer “places” for students on campus. Although I understand some of the reasons for closing the Café, it is important to stress that I do not agree with the way this decision was made. Students were not only left out of discussions concerning the future of the Café, but also deceived about the reasons and bullied into not asking questions. I do not believe a university should treat anyone, especially its own students, in such a way.
I want everyone to know and understand that despite all our efforts, we may not succeed in saving the Architecture Café. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. This is about more than saving the Café. It is about creating a place for students to belong—where they feel comfortable taking off their shoes, laughing until coffee comes out of their noses, and changing the music without asking for permission. We are all members of this university and of this community. If we do not succeed in saving our beloved Café, it must remain a space for students, a place that belongs to all of us. Stay posted—this isn’t over yet.
Katherine Messina is an Architecture Master’s student, and can be reached at [email protected].
