The Motley Coffeehouse, a historically student-run cafe and popular event space at Scripps College, will undergo administrative changes beginning summer 2026 — potentially jeopardizing its entirely student-run business model, Motley staff said.
Stacey Miller, The Motley’s current administrative advisor, announced at an all-staff meeting March 8 that she will be taking on new responsibilities as a supervisor to the coffeehouse, alongside the Scripps Store.
“Moving to a supervisory model ensures the right level of support, accountability, and institutional backing for the students running each unit and the College as a whole,” Miller wrote in an email statement to TSL.
Multiple Motley employees said they felt “blindsided” by this change and that the administration’s description of the new role is inconsistent with the coffeehouse’s needs.
“The areas in which we are supposedly going to be getting the support are not the areas in which I feel as though we need the support,” Motley co-head Laila Hannum SC ’26 said. “We need the support, and this is something I expressed to Stacey, in the day-to-day coffee operations.”
Miller was originally hired as a third-party consultant to mediate conversations between The Motley and the College after Scripps shut down the coffeehouse in Oct. 2024 for ignoring demands to take down a Palestinian flag.
Last summer, Scripps officially hired Miller as the interim assistant vice president for student affairs, where she continued to engage in policy discussion as The Motley’s administrative advisor.
As future supervisor, Miller said she will “ensure that tasks are completed correctly and efficiently” at the coffeehouse. She will step into her new role after the semester concludes.
“I’ll monitor work, provide guidance, evaluate performance, uphold and implement HR and college policies, and offer support in problem-solving,” Miller wrote.
During the all-staff meeting last month, Motley workers asked clarifying questions about what Miller’s supervisory duties would entail. Emily Weiss SC ’28, a barista lead, thought the job description Miller provided was “intentionally vague,” as it did not include specific examples.
“To be fair, it is a work-in-progress position, but I think not knowing much about the position at all is really frustrating to us,” Weiss said. “We don’t know how to move forward on things.”
According to Miller, the role of the supervisor will include involvement in hiring, a process previously conducted solely by student staff. For barista Zoe Isabelle SC ’29, the Motley’s student-run model influenced her decision to join the team and, more generally, attend Scripps.
“Having the Motley be a space that is entirely operated by the people who it seeks to serve is, I think, the best way to maintain its integrity.”
“Having the Motley be a space that is entirely operated by the people who it seeks to serve is, I think, the best way to maintain its integrity,” Isabelle said.
According to Miller, The Motley will remain a “student-run, College-owned business.” However, Motley staff expressed hesitation about allowing Scripps to continue marketing the coffeehouse as such.
“I would say … it’s student-employed, and it’s not student-run,” Hannum said.
While Miller told The Motley staff that she would not infringe upon students’ managerial autonomy, many said they were dissatisfied with her commitments.
“Because ‘will not’ is not necessarily an assurance, and it’s certainly not an assurance if Stacey’s role changes over to someone else, who then will [interfere with students’ roles],” Weiss said. “It’s the issue that, contractually, there is nothing to prevent her from doing these things except for her good faith.”
Weiss described the future of student management at The Motley as uncertain and “really scary.”
“By us agreeing to the supervisor role, it’s opening a doorway that we won’t be able to shut in the future.”
Dr. Sha Bradley did not respond for comment.
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