Despite two days of uncertainty, Student Government has achieved administrative cooperation to move forward on plans for a student coffeehouse.

On Nov. 18, Ken Zick, vice president for student life and instructional resources, delivered surprising news to the SG executive members.

Their project - to convert currently vacant lounge space in Taylor House to a student hangout - had been terminated, to their considerable disappointment and anger.

"This was going to be the big SG project of the year. We got a quick start and invested a lot of political capital into it. For it be defeated now is really discouraging," senior Ryan Ramsey, SG president, said on the evening of Nov. 18.

According to senior Jonathan Willingham, SG secretary, the decision was a "gross violation of student trust."

By the afternoon of Nov. 19, however, the project had been reopened after what Zick called a "full and robust debate" within the administration.

The ultimate decision gives SG the original budget of ,500 and the prospect of additional funds next fiscal year to complete the project as envisioned.

"The trustees had allocated the money that was left over from the remodeling of the Residence Life & Housing office to the coffeehouse," John Anderson, vice president for finance and administration, said. "We have a project, however, that looks like it requires more than that amount."

On Nov. 19, Anderson suggested that the coffeehouse be phased in over two years, leaving SG to determine how much can be accomplished with ,500 this year. Although SG has prepared a tentative budget, it does not yet know the total cost.

Anderson also made the decision to postpone a plan to create a cyber café in the Z. Smith Reynolds library. As previously reported in the Old Gold and Black, this proposal, developed by library staff and ARAMARK, had matured simultaneously with the SG coffeehouse.

"I personally thought we needed to settle the Taylor coffeehouse first," Anderson said.

For the SG executives, the reversal of decision was an exciting reaffirmation of the value of student opinion.

"The administration clearly heard our message," Willingham said on Nov.19.

Ramsey also said he was pleased.

"We are acting in good faith that the originally promised amount is still there, and we are very explicitly acting on good faith that there will be funds available next year to complete the project," Ramsey said.

Zick described the outcome as a victory for SG.

"They performed admirably, and their arguments were principled, passionate and important to hear," he said.

With the renewed administrative commitment, SG expects the coffeehouse to be fully operational in the next two years

"We will move ahead as fast as possible," Willingham said. "We will have the naming contest, we may have another focus group and we continue to encourage students with ideas and input to contact us."

Willingham and senior Dean Taylor, SG chief of staff, have submitted their full proposal to Anderson, who will determine how to financially realize the renovation of the lounge. Anderson will send the tentative breakdown of costs, for example, to Bill Shotton, construction manager of the campus, and to ARAMARK.

"We will do whatever the university wants," Veronica Cruickshank, resident district manager of ARAMARK, said of the food service provider's role. "I just need to be told what, when and how. Personally, I think a coffeehouse will be kind of chic."

According to Willingham, once SG and Anderson receive information about the accuracy of budget estimates, they will establish a clearer timetable for what can be phased in first.

The vision outlined in the SG proposal calls for "a hang-out space that serves coffee, not a coffee shop that is interested in profit." The hours of operation will initially be 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. during the week, 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. on the weekend, and would be adjusted if needed based on student usage and interest.

The coffeehouse will be staffed by student workers overseen by an ARAMARK manager, while an advisory panel consisting of students and a member of the Division of Student Life will be responsible for programming, responding to ideas and complaints and making "general directional decisions."

According to the proposal, pricing and quality must be comparable to off-campus coffee establishments such as Starbucks, Borders Café and Barnes & Noble. SG sees the ambience of the lounge space as critical to success, calling for a non-institutional atmosphere that includes a warm color scheme, soft lighting, hard wood flooring, carpeting and area rugs, comfortable furniture, a fireplace and a background sound system. The food service is expected to include a variety of coffees, specialty coffee drinks, teas, iced beverages and pastries.

The walls will be decorated with student art, and major programming may include events such as live music and a film series.

"We are very happy to see the project back on track and the student voice being heard," Willingham said.