On Monday, Sept. 15, a familiar line flowed out the door of the Motley as students flocked towards the Scripps student-run coffee shop. The rush followed their annual opening party on Friday, Sept. 12, with the theme of “Motgun Wedding.”
The Motley reopened after a tumultuous last year, when the Scripps administration ordered an unprecedented closure for over a month after the coffee shop did not comply with the school’s demands for the removal of their Palestinian flag. The Motley reopened in mid-November without any decorations. It still remains undecorated while the managers continue conversations with the Scripps administration to develop a new policy.
Motley Co-Head Laila Hannum SC ’26 is on the coffeehouse’s policy writing committee — one of the many committees that baristas are a part of — and is working to try and get decorations back in the shop.
“We are working just as hard to get that [decor] policy approved, and getting our space back to reflect the Scripps community,” Hannum said.
Hannum and fellow Co-Head Juliya Makhanov SC ’26 meet with the Motley advisor, Interim Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Stacey Miller, once a week.
“Stacey’s new this year, and we’ve had a really positive relationship with her so far,” Makhanov said.
New hire Nika Kumar SC ’29 said she is proud that the Motley is able to negotiate with the Scripps administration for a solution that satisfies both parties.
“Honestly, I think it’s helped the Motley community kind of be on the same page about who we want to be and what we want to stand for,” Kumar said.
Hannum stated that getting the policy around decoration approved is a lengthy process, which is why it transitioned into this semester.
“It’s a continuous dialogue with the administration, so a back and forth of our suggestions here, their suggestions, and then working to meet a compromise between the two,” Hannum said.
The Motley also opens with an unprecedentedly large application cycle. According to Hannum and Makhanov, the Motley manager team received 77 applications for the fall semester. They ultimately accepted 25 new hires to compensate for staffing losses in last year’s graduating class.
According to Makhanov, the managers were working 30 to 35 hour weeks during hiring to open as quickly as they did. Hannum said it was the largest application cycle she has seen since starting at the Motley her freshman year, when it had to rebuild its staff after COVID-19.
“I feel like we hired the right people,” Hannum said. “And so that’s nice because we put so much time and effort into figuring out what applications to accept. It feels rewarding.”
According to the co-heads, all except one of the 25 new hires were first-year and second-year students. Hannum said that the new hires are the most exciting part of reopening.
“They’re so excited to be working here, and I’ve just had really positive interactions with all of them, so that’s been really nice,” Hannum said. “And I’m really proud of our manager team already for the work we put in opening. I think it was one of the most successful openings we’ve had, and I’m excited to see what projects we take on next.”
Kumar said she was inspired to apply after visiting during admitted students day. She is most excited about forming connections with people through working at the Motley.
“I was like ‘this is definitely just something I want to be a part of: great vibes [and a] great community,’” she said. “And it seemed like a great workplace.”
According to the co-heads, customers can also expect new changes to the Motley menu this year, including new pastries, the reappearance of authentic Thai tea and an elevated espresso due to the reprogramming of the espresso machine. Hannum also said the Motley hopes to plan a lot more parties this year.
The opening party celebration on Friday included a performance from “Elvis,” a Motley barista, and a mock “wedding” of two Motley managers. Hannum said the managers voted almost unanimously in favor of the theme based on a shotgun wedding.
“Our community engagement and networking managers put so much time and effort into planning this event,” Makhanov said. “We really are a student-run business, and we do everything we do for students, so obviously it would be nothing without students showing up.”
According to Makhanov, the opening party was so packed that halfway through, she had to ask 50 percent of the people to leave the Motley due to capacity restrictions.
“We put in a lot of time and love into this place, so we definitely appreciate when it’s shown back,” Hannum said.
The Motley is open to all 7C students between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The Dean of Students Office did not respond for a statement before publishing.
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