Local coffee shops expand their hours to accommodate students during finals week. Only one, Donkey Coffee & Espresso, stays open 24/7.
In the midst of exam week, sleep is a commodity that must go untouched for some students. Coffee, on the other hand, is a must.
Students on a quest to get their caffeine fix can find campus cafes open during their regular hours, but Donkey Coffee & Espresso, 17 W. Washington St., is a safe haven for night owls during finals week. Donkey Coffee will stay open 24/7.
To add to the quietness and atmosphere, there will be no musical performances the weekend before or the week of exams.
“Basically, students just want to study that week,” said Chris Pyle, the owner of Donkey Coffee.
He added the business tried to have musical performances during exam week before, but attendance was poor, with some even leaving in order to find a quieter place to study.
An advantage of staying open 24 hours, according to Pyle, is that business is booming.
“There’s usually a lot more students who want coffee and to have a place to study,” he said.
Levi McFarland, an OU alumnus and Donkey employee said no employee is required to work finals week. However, many take the opportunity to make some extra money.
“The shifts are put up and always get filled,” he said.
Also, since some employees, such as McFarland, aren’t students and don’t have the stress of finals there usually isn’t a problem. Pyle says that he doubts that working during exam week is no harder than working their normal hours.
The Front Room, Café BiblioTech and the ARC will all hold normal hours during exam week said student leader Matthew Howard, a junior studying advertising.
Since cafes on campus are in university buildings that have regular, inflexible closing times, expansion of hours of operation aren’t possible, he added.
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