Johnnies Head Back into the Cave

By Cameron Hines

Photo by Avi Chawla

“Don’t forget to check out the mural in the bathroom!” operations manager Shannon Albritton (SF20) encouraged us in his toast at the re-opening reception of the Cave as students and faculty nibbled on brie and drank hot apple cider.

As we bumped elbows with the likes of Mr. Roosevelt, College President, and Director of Health and Wellness Christine Guevara, I was struck by the feeling of welcome in the space. From new beautiful area rugs to pops of colors on the overhead pipes, the Cave has undergone major renovations these past few months. Allocated a generous budget from the school, a group of students led the decorative process, painting murals on the walls of flowers, sunsets, and bright yellow hexagons. The Cave was already a cozy space to read, drink coffee, and study with friends, but now it’s even more so.

The Cave will now be touting snack options from local vendors like the Santa Fe Chocolate Maven, college favorite Whoo’s Doughnuts, and Iconik Coffee Roasters. Albritton is also hoping to bring in vendors from the Santa Fe Farmers Market to stock the Cave. Instead of bringing ourselves to town for late-night snacks, students will bring the town to ourselves.

After the lecture on Nietzsche’s Eternal Return of the Same that night, a crowd returned to the newly-reopened Cave to listen to student poetry, stand-up comedy, and original songs. The open-mic event was to celebrate this semester’s publication of “the Grout,” our student literary magazine. The scene lasted until midnight with people jamming on guitar. It was what college is supposed to be — I think someone actually played “Wonderwall.”