Located in the same field house as the Southwestern Police Department is a mysterious door with three words reading “Korouva Milk Bar”. If you ask a recent Southwestern alumni or perhaps a professor about the Korouva Milk Bar, they may remember it as a place that served good coffee at a fair price or tasty milkshakes that rivaled a frappuccino from the Cove. But what this mystical coffee bar is best remembered for is the vital energy it provided for student life and activities on campus, serving both clubs and artists alike as a space to hold creative events and insightful conversations in a comfortable and informal space.
The Korouva Milk Bar served as a club space for Pirates for Pride, Alpha Phi Omega, and many others that were looking for a safe space to share a sense of community and belonging in Southwestern. On top of that, the business involved in maintaining the space provided an effective opportunity for students to practice hands-on business and life skills, such as accounting, management, and routine maintenance. It is safe to say that the Korouva Milk Bar served an important part in student activities and shined as a beacon to prospective students, as a hip and interesting part of Southwestern’s culture. With that being said, the cafe has seemingly vanished off campus, only surviving in the memory and experiences of past students, with only a diffident three word name on the door that once was the entrance to a lively space. So we wonder, what happened to the Korouva Milk Bar?
Although its origins are murky, the founding of what came to be known as the Korouva Milk Bar began in 1994, and was finalized around 1996 when it found its home in the historic field house on Maple Street. The name was inspired from a cult-classic Stanley Kubrick film, A Clockwork Orange. Due to the dubious activities in the movie, the cafe’s name was almost changed to “Cafe Java” in 1996, but it continued to live on as the culturally iconic Korouva Milk Bar…that is, until the fateful upheaval of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused many changes within our daily lives and many businesses shut down in the wake of the quarantine and its isolation. The Korouva Milk Bar was no exception; when classes were cancelled as a result of the pandemic in Spring of 2020 during spring break, the Korouva Milk Bar lost its support base and routine maintenance from the students. The lack of present student body during this period and the health risk social spaces posed at the time resulted in the dilapidation of the Korouva Milk Bar.
Now the space serves as a workshop for SU’s beloved pirate bikes, and is under use by the SU Police Department. Unfortunately, the field house is no stranger to disrepair. During its lifetime, the Korouva Milk Bar was shut down on multiple occasions for repair projects, once in 2006 and again during the freeze of 2021 when a frozen tree took a fall on the building. Even today, mold has been detected in the section of the field house that hosted the Korouva Milk Bar and is undergoing maintenance to remove the mold. Despite this, there has been a spread in awareness surrounding the cafe and its importance as a student owned space.
In the Korouva Milk Bar, the original decor (which is quite extensive) remains on every wall and nearly every ceiling tile. Jokes, quotes, and poetry decorate the walls in a way that gives life and character to the cafe. The student designed artwork and murals display the creative bounds that the space used to harbor in its glory days. During the nearly twenty-five years of operation, the unique cafe served everything from milkshakes to lattes, and at a quite affordable price, as the student work was entirely volunteer based. In its time as an active cafe on campus, it hosted slam poetry nights as well as open mic nights for students who wanted to express creative energy in a safe and social space. On top of that, it served as an attractive study space for the student community. With late hours, great music and good vibes, it is quite a shame that such a gem of Southwestern culture had shut down.
The eminence of the space was rediscovered by the newly-formed SU Philosophers club, which was able to host a weekly meeting in the Korouva Milk Bar. With the help of SUPD Chief Joseph Barragan and Paul Conomos, the club was able to find a time to meet in the cafe turned workshop, at a time that worked for both parties. The first meeting to take place in the cafe was in late February and was the first time in years that the Korouva Milk Bar had hosted the socialization and curious thought that it was so popular for in the past. Andreas Garza ‘27, a member of SU Philosophers, reports that “Meeting in the old cafe was an honor. It stands out from other student-oriented spaces like the Cove and the library, because it really feels like a student-run space.”
R. Cidette Rice ‘26, President of SU Philosophers, stresses the importance of using a space that is centered around student interests. “To me, Korouva Milk Bar represents the purest form of academic culture, as the space is separate from administrative control. It contrasts other campus spaces, as many lack any student influence at all.”
Since students have been able to experience the space once again, it is clear that Korouva Milk Bar lives on in students’ hearts as a place that provides a safe space for creativity and community. The passion and dedication of Southwestern’s students lives on through the artistic feng shui of the once lively place.
As of now, the old cafe is undergoing mold treatment and faces being razed if the mold cannot be fully removed. In any case, the cafe stands testament to the creative cultural energy of SU students – for artists and coffee lovers alike. With the difficulty clubs face finding a comfortable meeting space nowadays, a place like the Korouva Milk Bar would provide the perfect spot. Although the old cafe may be destroyed for medical reasons, it is an inspiration for a new space centered around student interests and separate from corporate interests. Colorful and lively, this is how we remember the Korouva Milk Bar – not only as a cafe, or a club space, but as an expression of SU students and their passion for learning.