Student reaches for giveaway bag by C Store produce section. (Photos by Mark DiOrio)
Colgate University hosted the grand opening of the C Store in the O’Connor Campus Center on Friday, Feb. 13, adding to the University’s Colgate Day celebrations. The C Store is Colgate’s one-stop shop for health and wellness items, school supplies, and snacks. During the event, representatives from name brands like Coca-Cola and Monster as well as local businesses like Hershey’s Ice Cream and Lorenzo displayed and distributed products available to students in the store.
The event was a collaboration between the Office of Student Involvement and Dining Services. Throughout the day, dining services interns distributed coupons and facilitated giveaways. Students dropping by the Coop were able to enjoy a cotton candy machine, a photobooth with merchandise available as props, and a pop-up cafe from one of the local businesses featured in the store.
Community involvement and feedback is central to the C Store. Students are encouraged to fill out the C Store survey to inform dining services which items they would like to be available.
“We want to make sure we are able to order the products the students want, and we want to make sure they are accessible as soon as possible,” shared Alex Backer, the director of Coop dining.
Responding to survey feedback, dining services has created a section for students to purchase fresh produce. This includes stock items such as apples and bananas and less-available fruits such as mangoes and dragon fruit.
“This is a value-driven market for students to make their own,” said Jon Downes, resident district manager of Colgate’s dining services. “We want to listen to students’ feedback to make the C Store what they want it to be.”
The C Store allows students, especially those who live on Upper Campus, to have better accessibility to daily items without having to take the shuttle into the village of Hamilton. A portion of the campus store is dedicated to over-the-counter medications and supplies for when students are sick.
“When I had the flu, I couldn’t make it to class, let alone into town. The medicine being available within one of the campus buildings made my recovery so much easier,” Andrew Gathercole ’29 said.
The C Store is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 4 to 10 p.m. on weekends, providing students a variety of times to visit between classes or while studying or dining in the Coop.
“The C Store makes my life as an involved student — and someone who lives uphill — much more simple,” said Shegufta Mehjabeen ’28.