The rebirth of the Quarry has been a wonderful addition to campus, and Denim is a great addition to the dining options on campus. Delicious coffee and baked goods are a win for us. 

But The Dickinsonian learned the hard way this week that Denim is only part of campus in some ways. We were told we could not continue distributing our newspapers and that Denim has been denying posting flyers of any kind, not just at the Quarry location, but at all of its locations.

Now I don’t know the details of the lease agreement that Denim has with the college, but I can say that the Denim is housed in a college building and that the agreement they have to take college meal plans means that our board money is going to them. So what’s the deal? They only want to be associated with the college when it benefits them, I guess. 

I know that Denim is a business that needs to make a dollar, and providing a space that is attractive and comfortable to be in is part of being a successful coffee shop. Posters would take away from some of the renovations they’ve put together that make the space more attractive than before. The spiral staircase in the HUB with its dozens of accompanying fliers isn’t exactly the most beautiful part of campus, and it wouldn’t be ideal for the Quarry to be plastered like that.

But it’s just too bad that Denim does not want to be a part of campus life although they  benefit from the student body. While that rule makes more sense at other locations, they’ve come into a college campus. They should know what they’re getting themselves into!

The Quarry is best when it is a community space — what makes it appealing is that it is a space to share with other students. Student activities come along with that, paper fliers and all. I know it might be annoying in some ways, but allowing fliers — and newspapers — would make the Quarry the space students want it to be.