I am the first one to admit I may have grandiose schemes.

My original focus was going to be how NIU should remove Blackhawk Dining and the Huskie Hub for the inclusion of four commercial venues. Even though my plan was too idealistic, it is only when you set your sights high that you see the peak of the mountain.

I interviewed Mitch Kielb, director of the Holmes Student Center, to get feedback on my ideas. Kielb is happy with the current occupancy, and of course he should be – Subway is the only private vendor. Coffee Corner, Huskie Hub and Blackhawk Dining are all run by the Holmes Center Food Service, so if he was not satisfied I guess it would be his fault.

When I asked him about making room for new commercial venues, he stated that a Request for Offer (RFO) had been submitted during the spring 2010 semester to find a lessee for Coffee Corner for this school year. Even though such businesses like Dunkin’ Donuts, Ollie’s Frozen Custard and Sweet Dreams Desserts seemed interested, all of them backed out.

Kielb stated such reasons why commercial venues just would not work; venues would have to close in the summer, bad economy and a large commuter population that leads to decreased traffic in the HSC were his bullet points.

After my interview, I traveled down to the lower level of the HSC to find some students to interview.

After talking with Kielb, I expected to see relatively few students, especially since it was 2 p.m. on the first Friday of classes. To my amazement, the HSC was almost full.

My devil horns grew and I thought to myself, “Sweet, I can find plenty of students who hate the Huskie Hub.” My palate, however, must be in the minority.

In the following interviews I will highlight typical responses from the many students whom I interviewed. Typical refers to the fact that I received roughly the same response multiple times, and most of the interviewees eat at the HSC one to three times a week.

Concerning the Huskie Hub, freshman business major Kyle Smith said it best, “I chose the Huskie Hub for the 25-cent hotdogs, cannot beat that.”

Pertaining to Blackhawk Dining, junior biology major Karl Mamaat reflects, “I do not eat at Blackhawk because it is awkwardly stashed away in the corner and closed after 1 p.m.”

Actually, Blackhawk Dining is not in a corner, but really like a hallway to a 11,500-square foot seating area that is closed after 1 p.m.

Finally, regarding my idea of replacing Coffee Corner with a Jamba Juice sophomore undecided major Elizabeth Corral said, “If there was a Jamba Juice, I would be there every day.”

I know my plan for a Jamba Juice was unstated until now, but that is called a climax, people; so let me restate it again: NIU should grant Jamba Juice the lease for Coffee Corner for the 2011-2012 school year.

For those students who are unfamiliar with Jamba Juice, Jamba offers 30 varieties of fruit smoothies made with whole fruit, all natural juices and organic ingredients when available. Jamba accommodates four different dietary needs; gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free.

And Jamba loves to build its campus locations according to LEED standards. LEED refers to building standards that are environmentally friendly in design, construction and operation.

Using a tactic called direct marketing; I interviewed Janice Duis, Jamba Juice corporate communications senior director, about the prospects of Jamba coming to NIU.

She said they were unaware of NIU’s RFO, and since Jamba already has outlets at Northwestern and the University of Illinois, Jamba would “love to be at NIU.”

Reject the java, and demand the Jamba!