Colgate University Dining Services announced the opening of the C Store in the O’Connor Campus Center (Coop) in a university-wide email on Monday, Nov. 3. Replacing the former Coop conference room, the C Store will be available as a convenience store on Friday, Nov. 7. An official grand opening will occur in Spring 2026.
This news follows the rollout of updates by Dining Services earlier this semester. Coop now joins the company of Frank Dining Hall and Merrill House, dining locations that have acquired these additional features.
Cody Tipton ’07, Director of Conference Services, Summer Programs and Auxiliary Support, and Jon Downes, Resident District Manager of Colgate University Dining Services, sent out a joint press release with more information.
According to the email, the store will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. Students can use bonus dollars, which come with premier meal plans, flex dollars, which come with all other meal plans and ’Gate Cash.
Serving students as a convenience store, it will offer goods ranging from health and wellness items to snacks and beverages to school supplies and beyond.
Usually, procuring any of these items would require a trip into town to the Colgate Bookstore or Kinney Drugs, or, sometimes, Utica and New Hartford for big box selections.
The opening of this store seeks to alleviate accessibility issues up the hill. According to the email, the installation of the store is in response to student feedback, and it welcomes more feedback concerning the store.
“The C Store is the result of feedback from students and input from staff. If you would like to recommend products and brands, review hours of operation and offer other feedback, complete the C Store Working Group Interest Form or take this survey,” the email read.
The University also announced the development of a new conference room on the lower level of Coop inside the computer lab, since the C Store occupies what used to be the Coop conference room. With seating for up to 28 people, the conference room will be available for student groups to book via Get Involved and for faculty members to reserve.
In addition to this soon-to-be-opened space on campus for meetings, the email promoted the Clark Room in James C. Colgate Hall as another meeting space, now filled with more tables, for use.
For further information or questions, Dining Services encouraged those interested to contact them via email at [email protected] or by text at (315) 825-4119.
