University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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Drinking a forty of Steal Reserve, junior history major Rob Morris gulps down large quantities of alcohol. Thursday nights often involved drinking with just a few friends, photo by Abby Johnson LAID-BACK appea Weekday, or weekend? On campus, Thursday nights seemed to fall in that in-be- tween time: too close to the weekend for any serious study sessions, yet close enough to weekdays that students needed a time to relax from the stresses of a week of classes. Regardless, if students did CAELAN JORDAN choose to study, campus li- braries were generally quieter than ever because other stu- dents were already diving into the weekend. BY I love Thursdays. They ' re myfavorite night of the week- end, said ISA sophomore Nicole Gopoian. Othernights I wear skirts or nice pants, but I always wear jeans on Thurs- days. It ' s a more relaxed at- mosphere. Even if students were not out on the party circuit, Thurs- days still held a laid-back ap- peal because of theapproach- ing weekend. Idon ' tconsiderThursdays to be the weekends, but there ' s definitely less motiva- tion to do homework, said junior computer science ma- jor Jessica Dow. I usually just do homework and stuff, but sometimes I ' ll just relax at home and hang out with friends. Whatever students chose to do on Thursday nights, the fact that so many students invested so much energy in devising schedules without classes on Fridays was testi- mony to the appeal of Thurs- day nights. Michigan Life 29

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An issue of Maxim strewn on the coffee table, juniors EECs major Brian Rickert and Jack Stepanian relax together. Thursday nights seemed to be more about intimate gather- ings than full-out parties, more so than other nights of the week. photo by Abby Johnson 28 Thursday Nights

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MOVING Caribou Coffee. Cava Java. Einstein Bros. Espresso Royale. Lining State Street from the Union north to Liberty Street, a crackerjack box of coffee houses existed, giving students a huge choice in where to spend their money. And in early spring, a new competitor joined the market: BY Starbucks Coffee, the Seattle- CAELAN JORDAN based national chain idealized for its strong flavor, mocked for its seemingly total take- over of the caffeine business. When Starbucks moved in at the corner of State and Liberty, the buzz of their cappacino makers was met with shouts from protesters upset that the national chain threatened to steal business from local stores. When I want coffee, I go to whichever coffeehouse is closest to me at the time. But Starbucks isn ' t a place I like to study like I do at the other ones. I really like to read in Espresso Royale, but Starbucks is always too noisy, said jun- ior anthropology major Erin Fisher. Also on State Street, Ben Jerry ' s opened a new ice cream franchise right next to Stucchi ' s, an Ann Arbor ice cream tradition. Ben Jerry ' s, although a national chain, seemed to appeal because it offered the popular flavors students knew from the famous ice cream pints sold in grocery stores. I go to Ben Jerry ' s to get mint chocolate cookie if I ' m in the mood, but otherwise I al- ways go to Stucchi ' s just ' cause I ' ve always gone there ever since I got to college, said junior pharmacy major Jolene Kingsbury. Regardless of where stu- dents spent their money, the new stores did bring about questions more complicated that just what ice cream flavor to choose. Campus tradition, or familiar chain? Trying to attract students with a multitude of special flavors, a Ben Jerry ' s vendor sells ice cream on the street during a warm day. Ben Jerry ' s moved its ice cream business to Ann Arbor during the summer, photo by Abby Johnson 30 Local vs. Corporate Chains