The dim lighting and cheap coffee and tea attracts a variety of UWM students to Eighth Note Coffeehouse in the student union. However, there’s a small group of students who found their niche at Eighth Note and come back continuously – including the workers whose only profit is community and conversation.
Natasha Dogra and Ariana Gomez, both seniors, met at the student-run Eighth Note five years ago and continue to study and meet there. Sydney Lee met them at Eighth Note two years ago, and their friendship remains strong.
“The personalities of the people who come here to chill and those who work here is what brought us here and what keeps us coming back,” said Dogra.
For Lee, it’s not only the friendship, but the abundance of couches available for students to lounge on that brought her to Eighth Note.
“Naps are very important,” she laughed. “I can nap here, and my friends are here too; what more could I ask for?”
The couches are sectioned out so that it provides divisions within the space of the coffeehouse. The divisions are large enough to fit many friends together but also offers enough space for people who just want to study quietly alone and be away from others. Many students lounge on the couches for a break throughout their busy days.
Founded nearly 60 years ago, Eighth Note is one of the longest-standing student organizations on campus. The all-volunteer operation is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and only accepts cash.
Students aren’t pressured to buy anything at Eighth Note and can use the space as a study and hang out area. However, they serve a wide variety of coffee and teas that have gotten positive feedback.
“I love anything that they have with vanilla flavor,” said freshman Rebecca Richter. “I mostly come here to meet up with friends.”
Richter is an architect major and enjoys the music selection the workers at Eighth Note play. Unlike other venues on campus that are required by university regulations to play the radio to avoid potentially inappropriate material, Eighth Note has the freedom to play their own music.
“We host our own music selections and hang up our own art on the walls. It does have a different feel than a typical place on campus,” said Erik Peppey, 26, a worker at Eighth Note.
Peppey, a senior majoring in theater, started working at Eighth Note in the fall semester. He’s received many compliments for the coffee they serve compared to what is offered at the Grind. Though the coffee is good, he believes the setup of Eighth Note is part of the reason people continue to come there.
“The soft lighting, variety of music and sense of community is all what makes Eighth Note, Eighth Note,” said Peppey. “I’m not great at socializing, and it’s hard for me to fit in. The people who hang out here and the vibes, it just clicks for me.”
Peppey’s favorite drink at Eight Note is the Sir Winston Churchill, a hazelnut powder blended with coffee.
Though it’s tucked away in the union and easy to miss, many people come to the coffeehouse to make new friends. There’s a bar that surrounds the workers as they take and make orders, allowing them to engage in the conversations going on around them.
The coffee at Eighth Note comes from Stone Creek Coffee, but they’re always looking for alternatives. The tea is ordered from a variety of companies off Amazon. They don’t want the same coffee as other places serve, but, because it’s all volunteer work, the coffee must be good but cheap.
“All profits go to keeping work going,” said marketing officer William Gilbertson. “We spend as much as we earn. It’s a balancing act.”
The founding of Eighth Note has no clear records, but what is known, is that its history consists of coffee, ashtrays and bands. Eighth Note used to host bands and student performers frequently throughout each semester. Additionally, the coffeehouse used to be one of the few places available for students to smoke on campus. Smoking in the Union has been prohibited as of April 1, 2006.
Besides no longer permitting smoking, the job itself isn’t strict. There are only three rules, according to the organization’s faculty co-advisor, Jason Dietenberger: “Keep the tunes playing, keep the beverages brewing and keep the respect for all who enter the space – we have something special here.”
Dietenberger has been the faculty co-advisor for Eighth Note for the past year alongside co-advisor John Peine. As a student organization, Eighth Note is self-led, and advisors intervene only when rules are being broken. The decision-making comes from the students.
“Eighth Note is a unique space with a cozy feel, low prices and allows students to feel at home in the middle of the Union,” said Dietenberger. “Everything is sold at cost. The prices are just enough to make it to the next order.”
With cash being the only means of payment, prices are simple: $1 for plain coffee or tea, $1.50 for specialty drinks and $2.00 for flavored drinks.
Dietenberger views Eighth Note as an alliance among students. It allows all students the opportunity to engage in coffee drinking and socializing. With flavors and names like Mr. 5000 Robo Mocha, Sir Winston Churchill and Thizzle, Vizzle, Chizzle, there’s bound to be something for everyone, said Dietenberger.
To bring awareness, Eighth Note Coffeehouse hosts events every week. They are an avid participant in hosting annual Geek Week events. During Coffree Hour, people can stop in and get a free cup of coffee for an hour. Open mic night is a reoccurring event. In the past, they’ve had bands come in and play that draw an audience.
Eighth Note Coffeehouse is a place for engaging conversations, meeting new people, doing homework or simply sipping a fresh cup of joe. For some, it’s just a coffeehouse, but for others, it’s their home away from home.
Gilbertson has worked at Eighth Note for a year and works about 20 hours per week. He also works at the Grind. As a student with one paid job and one volunteer job, time is a balancing act for him. He enjoys it, though.
“Eighth Note is for people who don’t have a community, and it encapsulates people who don’t have a large friend group,” said Gilbertson. “When I first started, I made connections, and it felt like my community.”