Dear Morton Mendelson,
My name is Hilary Papineau and I am an ’07 graduate of the urban studies program. I am writing with great concern and dismay regarding the administration’s alleged closure of the much-loved Architecture Café. The Architecture Café is a unique and cherished study cove, source of healthy, sustainable and inexpensive snacks, and a gem of a café that is unique to McGill, in contrast with the sterile, corporate environment of Chartwells and its mass-produced food.
The Café is a gem that resonates with the values of students both current and former. I urge the administration to include quality of life and principles of environmental stewardship and fair labour standards into its calculation of what it considers a sustainable operation.
As an alumna, I believe in the importance of giving back to the University that has given me so many opportunities; at the same time, I also believe that the University has a responsibility to make decisions that reflect the values of its students and alumni. I know that my personal contributions as well as others within my network of alumni will hinge on the administration’s support of decisions that are truly in line with a high-quality student life.
I therefore strongly urge the administration to take stronger efforts to address the fiscal management of the Café to keep this unique and beloved McGill institution up and running.
Sincerely,
Hilary Papineau
BA 2007 Urban Studies