When senior Tricia Chow graduates this spring, she’ll leave behind friends, professors and her job as co-manager of Coffeehouse. That leaves the weekly concert series, featuring Whitman students and the occasional out-of-town band, in search of someone new.

Chow believes the position needs someone extremely motivated who works well with others.

As for experience, Chow said, “We train students before the actual job position starts; a lot of the stuff they’ll learn with us.”

Though applications were due last Monday, the hiring process is far from over.

“We’ll be interviewing throughout February,” said sophomore and co-manager Matt Coleman. “Probably in [a week] we’ll be interviewing people. We’ll make a decision the following week, and then we’ll send out an acceptance. It’ll be busy.”
Asked what he wants in his new co-manager, Coleman responded, “I would like to work with someone who is collaborative, I guess, rather than someone who works alone all the time. It’s a job for someone who likes to work in a team.”

“I want to work with someone who’s ambitious, too,” he added.

Ambition will be necessary in the coming year. Coffeehouse’s budget, like most on campus, may be cut, requiring the new co-manager to either find more student acts or be creative.

Fortunately, there are many talented musicians at Whitman.

One of them is senior Todd Hawes, who performed at last Friday’s Coffeehouse. It was his fifth time performing in the last three years.

“It’s so cool to have a series [of] individual performer[s],” said Hawes. “I know there were a ton of people tonight that weren’t here because I was here, but because Coffeehouse was here.”

As a person who’s performed under many different Coffeehouse managers, Hawes also has an idea about what makes a good one.

“I’d like to see them hire someone who’s also a performer,” he said. “It’s really great to have someone there who knows what you need, knows the pressures, knows it can be stressful and helps you reduce that.”

He commended alum Toby Kahm, saying, “He was just super involved in the beginning. He was the one who sought me out to play, he was the one who spearheaded the advertisements and the posters and stuff, and once I got here, he was really involved in making sure I was comfortable.”

While the co-managers make their decisions on whom to hire, Chow recalls parts of the job she’ll miss.

“I’ll miss getting the opportunity to put on events every week and work with other students,” she said. “I don’t think I’ll get another opportunity to put on events for a campus.”

Still, Chow is looking forward to what’s to come this semester.

“We have a faculty group called Orange Fight that’s going to perform on March 6,” she said. “At the end of the year, we always have a showcase of some kind, so this year we’re having a senior showcase.”

To see those events and more, come to the basement of Reid on Fridays from 9 to 11 p.m.