Many members of the University community found the EMU’s announcement that it had decided not to renew its lease with Holy Cow surprising. The decision has sparked some debate within the community as to how businesses can pursue their sustainability goals and balance them with economic interests.
One student, Robert Kirkpatrick, has been quietly trying to start a movement

he calls the “Holy Cow Nation.”
As he put it, his goal is “to get the process started that will lead us to the solution that will keep Holy Cow on campus.”
Kirkpatrick realizes that he can’t undo what has already been done, but he is hoping that with collaboration between sustainability groups on campus, a dialogue will begin about how the University as a whole should approach its sustainability goals.
Last year, University President Dave Frohnmayer committed the University to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, which promises to reduce the University’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
“An organic restaurant is in the sustainability interests of any sustainability mission,” Kirkpatrick said. “Why is it in the EMU there’s only one slot for organic food?”
The EMU has limited room for food vendors, and just one designated spot for vegan and vegetarian food.
Some students, staff and faculty have questioned the process the EMU used to select which business would occupy Holy Cow’s space for the next five years. A committee made up of Food Service Director John Costello, EMU Business Manager Jean Sun, EMU Facilities Director Dana Winitzky, EMU Marketing Coordinator Lee LaTour, Outdoor Program Director Dan Geiger, and student EMU Board member Tyler Scandalios looked at the background, menu and sales figures of both Holy Cow and Laughing Planet Café.
Scandalios said when Costello approached the EMU Board about the committee, he volunteered because he eats in the EMU regularly. The committee went out to eat at both Holy Cow and Laughing Planet Café, then both were invited to present to the committee. Both presentations happened during winter break.
“I didn’t see either of the presentations,” Scandalios said.
The committee voted unanimously for Laughing Planet Café.
“No one was happy to see Holy Cow go, but everyone was eager to see Laughing Planet come to the EMU,” Scandalios said. “Holy Cow has served the campus well and become an integral part of campus, but I sincerely believe that in the future, people will look at this decision and it will be apparent that Laughing Planet will be a great fit for the EMU. The students who loved Holy Cow will grow to love Laughing Planet as well.”
Holy Cow owner Kathee Lavine is still adjusting to the decision. One criticism that Costello offered of Holy Cow was that it does not accept credit cards, but Lavine is now taking steps to add a credit card machine to the café.
“Regarding the credit card issue, that was not a non-negotiable,” she said. “But left up to me, I’m against it because there’s an unconscionable amount of debt students get into in school.”
Lavine said she has not offered credit card acceptance in the past not only because of student debt issues, but also to keep prices in Holy Cow as low as possible.
“The thing people don’t realize about the credit card industry is their profits are being padded into every single monetary exchange,” Lavine said. “People don’t realize those fees are built into the costs.”
Lavine added that Holy Cow doesn’t turn away hungry customers just because all they have is a credit card to pay with, and will accept an IOU.
The impending closure of Holy Cow in the EMU will affect individual community members, such as employees of Holy Cow, and local organic producers, Lavine said.
“We are taking care of families and have people who have worked for us for years, and that’s going to be another loss,” she said. “Since we locally source our food so much, that’s a whole wave going out to people in our community that are going to be affected.”
Lavine said Holy Cow uses 98 percent organic foods, and spends some $30,000 a year with local organic wholesaler Organically Grown Company.
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Marketing Director for OGC David Lively said he is not sure how losing Holy Cow’s business will affect the OGC.
“This is not a dogfight we want to take a side in,” he said. Both Laughing Planet and Holy Cow are customers of OGC. “We respect the rights of the University to make whatever decision it wants.”
Lively believes that Laughing Planet’s purchases could balance those of Holy Cow, depending on to what degree Laughing Planet wants to remain organic.
“Holy Cow has been a pretty clear-cut deal: ‘We’re organic, and that’s our gig,’” Lively said. “It depends on what purchasing decisions Laughing Planet decides to make.”
As the impact of losing Holy Cow reverberates through the University community, Kirkpatrick and his supporters hope the echo will come in the form of more involved debate.
“We’re definitely going to get somewhere in this sustainability movement through this process,” Kirkpatrick said. “It’s part of what we need to do for sustainability in general. We need to develop ways to address process and policy issues.”