Coffee is king

After waking up from a long night of studying, you need a quick pick-me-up before you head to your 10:30 a.m. lecture. If you intend on making it to class on time, you better plan on getting a head start because many other students have the same idea as you.

After being at SU for a little while, it doesn't take long to notice SU students run on coffee. Understandably, java is a popular drink for most students because it helps them rebound from all those late nights up studying and partying. But coffee is not the only solution to fatigue. Energy drinks also provide the same effects, but they have yet to gain coffee's reputation on campus. As it's National Coffee Day, we want to take a look at coffee's popularity on campus.

Starbucks on Marshall Street is a convenient choice near campus -- the shop sells more than 1,000 cups of coffee daily, said Marty Lynch, the store's manager. "Students buy coffee because of convenience, exposure and variety," he said.

SU's overabundance of cafes makes them hard to miss. Also, coffee's endless taste options, from a mocha frappuccino to vanilla lattes, are leaps and bounds from the one-note Red Bulls and 5-Hour-Energy shots of the world.

Wei Chang Chen, co-manager at People's Place cafe in Hendricks Chapel, said coffee shops often have cozy, inviting atmospheres that make for good places to convene.

SU students have different reasons for their coffee preferences, but they all lead to the same conclusion -- coffee triumphs.

Juniors Casey Cutler and Bridget Walsh both voted in favor of coffee. "It was not until my freshman year in college that I started drinking coffee and I have never stopped since," Cutler said. She said she now relies on coffee daily and hasn't gone a day without it.

Walsh also drinks a cup a day and said she doesn't consume energy drinks because they contain too much sugar, making them unhealthy.

Freshman Pauly Najarro III said his health is the reason why he doesn't choose energy drinks. He said he's experienced unusual side-effects, such as lapses in memory and even muscle spasms after drinking Red Bull. He sticks to drinking Starbucks' canned double-shot espressos instead.

Coffee's popularity at SU stems from its reputation, convenience and the environment it's sold in. Maybe if energy drinks take on these same characteristics in the near future, they will have a chance at taking over coffee's reign.