When you ask Rebecca Frank ’11, an economics major, what she misses most after graduation, she jokes: “The free coffee! It’s one of the perks of being a Motley manager, and buying quality coffee really adds up.”
Rebecca worked at the student-run Motley Coffeehouse throughout her time at Scripps, usually as a member of the manager team. After noticing waste produced by paper cups, she proposed charging an extra dollar for those cups. The “to-go cup policy,” as it’s now known around campus, encourages patrons to practice sustainable habits by opting to drink their coffee out of reusable mugs.
Having come to Scripps prepared to be exposed to new subjects, it wasn’t until Rebecca took an economics class her sophomore year that she decided on her major. “I found that the graphs and models aligned with my visual learning style, while the theory and math allowed me to think analytically about the world around me.”
When sitting down to write her thesis, Rebecca didn’t ask herself “what topic from economics can I write about?” but rather, “what am I really passionate about—and what economic principles do I see in that?” Her answer? Sustainable coffee drinking.
Her thesis, “The Effects of Using Price Incentives to Reduce Consumer Waste: A Case Study on The Motley Coffeehouse,” examines two different pricing structures possible for the policy.
“Collecting my own data and deriving my own demand function was an unbeatable experience,” she says. “I was surprised at my results, which found that more students chose reusable mugs when they felt they were being taxed for the extra dollar, not when it was presented as a rebate for choosing a reusable mug.”
“I’ve probably learned the most about the world and about myself at The Motley.”
In addition to memories from the coffeehouse, Rebecca will always keep the economics faculty close to her heart. “There’s a sense of community among the econ majors that I haven’t found in other places at Scripps. Professor Kerry Odell and her intro macro class will blow your mind.”
Does Rebecca plan to open her own sustainable coffee shop after graduation?
“In the past I’ve had thoughts of getting Starbucks on the phone and proving to them being environmentally-friendly doesn’t have to hurt your business,” says Rebecca. “Seriously though, now that I have real data and results, I’ll probably try to share my knowledge with other coffee shops.”