Multimedia editor Eva Hallman can do this in her sleep. Photos by Jada Gangazha
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN | FALL 2024 EDITORIAL BOARD
To our fellow Butler students, Bon Appétit Butler and the administration of Butler University,
Every Tuesday evening, Collegian editors and designers gather in Fairbanks 210 — the office of The Butler Collegian — to publish our award-winning student newspaper. An average night ends around 2 a.m. on Wednesday, with some publication nights stretching until sunrise.
For generations, editors have made a pilgrimage to Starbucks or A-Town Market — formerly Plum Market — in search of caffeinated ambrosia to help us survive these long nights. The hard work of eliminating wayward Oxford commas, writing photo captions and correcting quote attributions requires at least 90 milligrams of caffeine minimum.
As editors and college students, a substantial boost of caffeine and more than a little sugar are requisites for us to do our best work. 
Design editor Abby Hoehn clings to what little remains of her 4:00 p.m. Starbucks order.
Culture co-editor Jack Williams considers adequate caffeination a necessity for supporting his colleagues.
“As an editor, the quality of my work impacts both my coworkers and the reporters in my section,” Williams said. “Having access to caffeine of some sort allows me to stay sharp on a late Tuesday night and do my part to get the Collegian published.”
Unfortunately, those nights of caffeinated excellence ended at the beginning of this year when the university decreased Starbucks and A-Town Market’s hours of operation. Indeed, Starbucks now closes at 6 p.m., before our publication nights even begin.
The harsh reality of the new dining hours confronted opinion editor Maddie Wood early in the semester and ruined her Tuesday night.
“As someone who has become way too dependent on a cinnamon dolce latte, the early closing of Starbucks is nothing short of devastating,” Wood said. “One Tuesday evening it slipped my mind and I took a happy stroll to Starbucks to get a nice caffeinated beverage to kickstart my night, only to be met with the cold iron bars closed on our beloved Starbucks. We need our caffeine back and we need it now.”
Opinion editor Maddie Wood and assistant opinion editor Anna Gritzenbach snuggle up.
Managing editor Aidan Gregg has leaned on caffeine to survive three years of publication nights. He reflected on the serious dangers of editing sans caffeine.
“One time, I went blind for several minutes at 3 a.m. because I wasn’t caffeinated,” Gregg said. “If this goes on for much longer, I fear my brain will shut down entirely.”
No longer can Collegian editors secure a much-needed Strawberry Açaí Refresher at 9:30 p.m. No longer can we purchase our second Celsius of the day just before midnight. We are left un-caffeinated, unfocused and exhausted.
Editor-in-chief Leah Ollie worries about the implications of decreased dining hours on the institution of student journalism.
“As an individual with a severe Celsius dependency, I am concerned by the current reality of restricted access to caffeinated beverages on campus,” Ollie said. “If student journalists can’t access the fuel for our ludicrously underpaid engine, I worry for the leagues of my peers who are similarly in need.”
Editor-in-chief Leah Ollie hogs the pillow from managing editor Aidan Gregg.
We now ask — nay, demand — that a late-night coffee option be reinstated on our campus. For the sake of our ability to continue to bring quality journalistic content to this community each week, editors must be awake and alert.
Managing editor Reece Butler feels motivated to leave the Collegian entirely because of her caffeine deprivation.
“As someone who has threatened to quit the Collegian countless times — so far with only empty promises — I fear that this lack of a basic necessity will truly become the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Butler said.
Culture co-editor Emma McLean is just resting her eyes.
Indeed, depriving our editors of their late-night coffee is a threat to our fundamental rights as collegiate journalists. As the weeks beat on and the nights go longer, it becomes ever more arduous to perform to the best of our ability. The university must change course and return to us our right to caffeinate whenever we wish — anything else would be an assault on our freedoms.
— The Butler Collegian Fall 2024 Editorial Board
