A cup (more like three) of morning joe gets me moving to my class in a way that no alarm clock will. Inspiration to get out of bed includes starting the process of my beloved French press coffee maker.

I realize I am not alone in my coffee habits, as nearly every time I’m sitting in a coffee shop on Hillsborough Street, I look up to see NC State students sitting nearby. With all of the local brews on Hillsborough Street, I spent quite a bit of money on my coffee habit last year. There is one place, however, that I try to avoid frequenting anymore.

I realize that writing this may mean I can no longer go to the coffee shop where I met my boyfriend, the only one that opens at 6:30 a.m. and an establishment that has served NC State students for decades. That being said, it is because I hold it so dear to my heart, that I am sad to see Cup A Joe on Hillsborough Street turn into an anti-college student atmosphere.

Signs around Cup A Joe now remind you that this is “not your library” with various rules to follow if you are to remain in their establishment. I have had several friends, who used to go there every day to buy coffee, be asked to leave for drinking smoothies from across the street one time.

Cup A Joe is creating a culture that is unwelcoming to college students, much like other high-end restaurants and apartments going up around our college campus. The coffee shop could take a lesson from positive cultures down the street: by making your establishment only about making money, you lose business and you lose the culture.

For example, for better brews and a better atmosphere, check out Liquid State, Jubala Coffee or Global Village, and stay as long as you’d like.

If you are 21, you can also enjoy a selection of beer and wine from Liquid State. Jubala Coffee, which opened in 2016, has the best food of any coffee shop I’ve been and you can see it being made in the back while you enjoy a café au lait from an experienced barista. Global Village is another one of my favorites, partly because it is where my sister and her fiance went on their first date, and also because of their rad coffee goblets.

It goes to say that as NC State students, our lives happen in coffee shops in Hillsborough. I have had countless memorable coffees with my friends and family in these local establishments, not to mention I would always rather study in a coffee shop than a library. There is something about the bustle of the place that energizes me.

The Cup A Joe on Hillsborough is no longer the hip and trendy spot to study or meet a friend due to the management’s decision to drive out college students with reminders around the store to continue buying as you sit and enjoy your cold brew — but no matter, any of the other local brews can have my business.  

As much as I want to save money on tea and coffee and not be overly dependent on caffeine, I will continue to support my local establishments that I see working to develop a positive culture for their customers. And since there are so many positive health benefits of drinking coffee, I’ll keep enjoying my morning joe.

Whatever you’re drinking, if you ever see me in a coffee shop on Hillsborough, be sure to pull up a seat and say hello. As far as I’m concerned, we never left campus.