KSA announces improvements to campus shuttle, Grassroots Cafe

Free WiFi and purchasable craft beer for all

The Kwantlen Student Association recently announced two new quality of (student) life enhancements for the upcoming semester. Come September, intercampus shuttles will feature free on-board WiFi, and patrons of the Grassroots cafe will be treated to craft beer on tap, possibly brewed right here at KPU.

Though details of the new WiFi setup are not yet available, Langley Campus representative for the KSA Connor Griffiths says that there’s “enough time [between Surrey and Langley campuses] that it makes sense to provide that kind of service.”

This upgrade is of particular interest to Griffiths, as the promise to get WiFi on KSA shuttles was a key tenet in his bid for election to KSA council.

“I talked to a lot of students when I was campaigning and jumping on and off the shuttle bus, asking what they thought of that idea, and there was a lot of support for it,” says Griffiths.

The other student demand that the KSA will soon meet is the need for quality brew in the Grassroots cafe. Starting in September, students will have a greater selection of craft beers when looking to do some drinking between classes.

“We were doing renovations in the Grassroots Cafe anyway,” says KSA president Alex McGowan, “so in looking into that we decided to get beer taps. We decided that was a good opportunity.”

The supplier of the draught is yet to be selected, but one strong possibility and a favorite option with the KSA is to sell beer brewed by the students in the Kwantlen Polytechnic University brewing program. However, it’s currently uncertain if the brewing program—which only brews in small batches at this time—will be able to supply the cafe. Should selling KPU brew not prove to be viable, the Grassroots will stock product from one of many other local craft breweries.

“We’ve been in conversation with the KPU brewing program. We’re hopeful that they’ll be able to set aside kegs that we’ll be able to use for the taps.”

The new taps and offerings are part of a major overhaul of the Grassroots cafe that is underway this summer and includes renovations to the sitting area and kitchens.