2008 Woodie Awards
Caffeine Craze: Who's drinking what and where to get it
Alex Hand
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: Features
When living the life of a college student, adequate rest seems hard to come by. With the average student attempting to balance time spent in class, at work, doing homework, preparing for exams, and still maintaining a social life - a little pick me up is needed more often than not.
Since the energy drink craze began a number of years ago, students know where to go to get that extra boost in their day. Instant energy is becoming as much a part of campus lifestyle today as protesting was in the 60s.
So where can a student go when they find they need to prop their eyes open just to appear to be awake? There are a few different locations on campus where energy drinks are available for purchase. Probably the most popular choice is the Cougar Corner Convenience Store located in the Dome.
Understanding the demand, the store supplies its customers with a wide variety of brands and flavors including but not limited to Monster (including Java), Rockstar, Amp, and of course the classic Red Bull. According to store manager, Melanie Niedens, the most popular among students is Monster M-80. "Friday morning, my first three sales were monster M-80s" said Niedens. Cougar Corner offers an M-80 for $2.81 (not including sales tax). A student should expect to pay no more than this when looking for that extra boost in his or her day.
Other places on campus where energy drinks are made available to students include the Campus Coffee Cart, located not too far away from Cougar Corner but in a convenient outside location. The privately owned business is also compliant with college students' need for a caffeine buzz in the middle of the day. Campus Coffee offers a similar assortment with comparable prices. There are also a number of vending machines one can find scattered around campus, where you may be able to get your fix. Rockstars for instance, can be found in nearly all Coco-Cola vending machines for a quick purchase.
So what does it mean to the college student to have instant energy at their fingertips? Melanie Niedens would say that energy drinks "play a huge role on campus". At any point during the day, a student is able to quickly make up for those few hours of sleep they missed by popping open a Monster. But does a highly caffeinated, artificially flavored beverage really fill the void? Its hard to tell at this point, since the long term effects of the energy drink craze has not yet been fully observed.
It is important though, to understand the healthy alternatives that are made available to students on campus at CSUSM. When asked about a healthy alternative, Niedens (Cougar Store manager) suggested "Yerba Mate" which is an organic, naturally caffeinated tea reminiscent of a green tea flavor. Yerba Mate has just recently been made available for purchase in the Cougar Corner.
Another alternative to gain just a bit of energy and or focus is Vitamin Water. Also according to Niedens, "Vitamin water is our number one seller". This reassuring fact proves that most students are still choosing the healthy alternative to give them that extra pick up.
It would not be a surprise, however, to see the way energy drinks are advertised and distributed on college campuses nationwide for years to come.
Since the energy drink craze began a number of years ago, students know where to go to get that extra boost in their day. Instant energy is becoming as much a part of campus lifestyle today as protesting was in the 60s.
So where can a student go when they find they need to prop their eyes open just to appear to be awake? There are a few different locations on campus where energy drinks are available for purchase. Probably the most popular choice is the Cougar Corner Convenience Store located in the Dome.
Understanding the demand, the store supplies its customers with a wide variety of brands and flavors including but not limited to Monster (including Java), Rockstar, Amp, and of course the classic Red Bull. According to store manager, Melanie Niedens, the most popular among students is Monster M-80. "Friday morning, my first three sales were monster M-80s" said Niedens. Cougar Corner offers an M-80 for $2.81 (not including sales tax). A student should expect to pay no more than this when looking for that extra boost in his or her day.
Other places on campus where energy drinks are made available to students include the Campus Coffee Cart, located not too far away from Cougar Corner but in a convenient outside location. The privately owned business is also compliant with college students' need for a caffeine buzz in the middle of the day. Campus Coffee offers a similar assortment with comparable prices. There are also a number of vending machines one can find scattered around campus, where you may be able to get your fix. Rockstars for instance, can be found in nearly all Coco-Cola vending machines for a quick purchase.
So what does it mean to the college student to have instant energy at their fingertips? Melanie Niedens would say that energy drinks "play a huge role on campus". At any point during the day, a student is able to quickly make up for those few hours of sleep they missed by popping open a Monster. But does a highly caffeinated, artificially flavored beverage really fill the void? Its hard to tell at this point, since the long term effects of the energy drink craze has not yet been fully observed.
It is important though, to understand the healthy alternatives that are made available to students on campus at CSUSM. When asked about a healthy alternative, Niedens (Cougar Store manager) suggested "Yerba Mate" which is an organic, naturally caffeinated tea reminiscent of a green tea flavor. Yerba Mate has just recently been made available for purchase in the Cougar Corner.
Another alternative to gain just a bit of energy and or focus is Vitamin Water. Also according to Niedens, "Vitamin water is our number one seller". This reassuring fact proves that most students are still choosing the healthy alternative to give them that extra pick up.
It would not be a surprise, however, to see the way energy drinks are advertised and distributed on college campuses nationwide for years to come.
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