Goodmans LLP Café remains closed while the Faculty arranges biweekly free coffee kiosks
Since U of T Law students returned to in-person classes in August, the smell of coffee has been missing from the Atrium. The Goodmans LLP Café has remained closed throughout the entire academic year. As some students returned to campus in February, it was announced that the café will remain closed for the rest of the year.
The continued closure of the café has remained a mystery, and it is not alone. Of the 46 locations to eat on campus, only eight opened during the fall semester. According to the U of T Food Services website, 23 locations are now open, though many other faculty-specific cafés remain closed. U of T Food Services could not be reached for comment.
Without the café at the law school, students are forced to make the frequent trek to off-campus options like Starbucks and Tim Hortons. Only 3Ls can remember the café’s convenience as an accessible option. An anonymous 3L student even stated that they were discouraged from spending time at the law school because of the lack of dining options to help get through long study sessions.
Fortunately, the U of T Law services team has stepped in with an alternative option. Following the success of the coffee program in December, Associate Dean Christopher Essert announced by e-mail that the program will return on March 1 for the remainder of the term. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, kiosks in the Atrium and on level 1 of Jackman Hall will offer free coffee and snacks for students. Associate Dean Essert noted that, as in the fall examination period, this program was made possible by the hard work of the U of T Law Facilities team.
While U of T Law students must wait until the fall for a reliable source for their caffeine fix, there will at least be some new options available after the law school’s reading break.
