University Dining will be adding five Port City Java stations over the next few years. One of these coffee cafes will be installed in the lower level of Kamphoefner Hall, right across from the former Syme c-store, according to Randy Lait, university dining business officer.

Lait said eventually there will be a total of six Port City Javas throughout campus, including the one already open in the College of Textiles and the one planned for Kamphoefner Hall.

“We made the decision about three years ago to find a coffee concept that we could partner with that would allow the University to operate the coffee shops but [also] offer premium coffee products,” he said.

Lait said after a few trips to Wilmington, where Port City Java hails from, he realized the locally-owned company was the way to go. He said the five new cafes will help out areas around campus on which dining isn’t as active.

“We’re just trying to attack little corners of the campus that don’t have food service now,” he said.

Syme c-store closed a year ago after the residence hall experienced renovations and housing decided to take the space back to use for laundry, according to Lait.

Marvin Malecha, dean of the College of Design, said he has been working with Art White, associate vice chancellor of University Dining, for several months, discussing the options for making food available to students using the design buildings.

After Syme c-store closed, design students and faculty members felt a sense of loss, according to Malecha.

“There was a great expression of disappointment on the part of the students and faculty in the College of Design that we could lose a place that a lot of students need,” he said. “Students were using [the Syme c-store] to get a cup of coffee or get a sandwich [while working].”

Malecha said the College of Design program immediately began working with the University once Syme c-store was shut down. He said after multiple discussions, he and White’s team decided the best location for a new Port City Java would be the lower level of Kamphoefner Hall.

The University and Port City Java are working to see exactly what will be able to fit in the space available, Malecha said.

Lait said Kamphoefner’s coffee shop will not be a full cafe but will include “as much of the produce line that [will] fit in the space.” He said the coffee counter will also be designed to match the new decor of the renovated Kamphoefner.

He also said construction on the Kamphoefner Hall Port City Java should start sometime after January 2008 and be completed before spring semester ends.

Stephanie Jansen, a sophomore in graphic design who lived in Syme residence hall last year, said after the Syme c-store shut down, students had to walk farther to get to another University Dining option.

“It was always really scary at night,” she said. “We had to go in really big groups.”

Jansen said some design students don’t always go to studio, but the cafe may help sway them toward spending more time there.

“They’ll feel more at home,” she said. “You can just go right outside the door and there will be a place you can go get food or something to drink.”

The total cost of all five new Port City Java coffee shops will be approximately $900,000 and the funding will come from the University Dining budget, according to Lait.