El Cappuccino, located right next to the El Camino College Bookstore and facing parking Lot C, is a major hub for beverages and socialization.
Almost like a mini Starbucks, El Cappuccino is a popular spot for students to stop by, grab a sweet drink and go on about the rest of their day.
Although a lot of ECC students manage to get there within a period of time after their classes end, or before noon, some are on campus longer.
Night classes never have the chance to get a refreshing drink or a meal that is near where they are at on campus.
The small drink shop closes at 2 p.m., which is not a convenient time frame, and longer hours are needed to accommodate them.
Ever since El Cappuccino was established in 2022, its hours of operation have stayed the same – Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., only closing on Fridays at 1 p.m.
Despite this, no ideas to implement change in the amount of hours it stayed open have surfaced.
According to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Management Information Systems Data Mart, in the fall semester of 2024 alone, over 2,354 students – around 10% of the student population – were attending evening classes.
This means that over a fraction of the entire student population was unable to procure food or refreshments that they may have needed during their classes in order to stay productive.
I talked to a couple of students about this issue, and while half admitted that the hours were fine, the other half said that they, being enrolled in night classes, would like to see a change in hours.
“That would be great,” 24-year-old child development major Angie Luzuriaga said. “On Tuesdays, I have a three hour class that ends at 5:30 p.m., and I get hungry. I hope that they have longer hours.”
In addition, a majority of classes currently being offered this semester that have high student enrollment rates start later in the evening and last until 9:30 p.m., regardless of what kind of course it is, according to the “Search for Classes” section of the MyECC website.
These results are pretty troubling and are a thought to keep in mind when the school administration is deciding and choosing what’s best for the benefit of the students here at this college.
These sorts of things, where a particular group of students has a significant disadvantage over the other primary group, should be brought to the attention of the college.
To solve this problem, so the college can give equal opportunities for all students to access El Cappuccino, the closing time should be later in the evening, such as around 5:30 or 6 p.m., in order to give the campus community more time to stop by and nourish themselves.
