The 8th Note Coffeehouse, located smack-dab in the middle of the UWM Union, provides a place for smoking students to puff in peace, score cheap cups of coffee, listen to bands and possibly, based on the number of dating 8th Noters, meet a future honey.

Originally, some students feel intimidated by the 8th Note because it's dark, overtly bohemian and seemingly cliquey, but The 8th Note has a friendly vibe these days. For many students, including the twenty that volunteer between classes to sling coffee, it's a place to vent, share ideas and meet people.

However, according to manager Nic Onorato, "You can sometimes cut the sexual tension with a knife."

Onorato made the rule years ago that he doesn't date anyone that he meets from the 8th Note, and so far, he's stuck to it. Rod Boyce, however, had the same rule, but amended it last year after meeting his now-fiancee. "I didn't want to date anyone in there," says the 28-year-old recent graduate. "The people seemed gossipy ... but I couldn't resist my fiancee. She was too cute."

The dim lighting undoubtedly has a lot to do with the amorous aspect of the 8th Note. Not only does it make the coffeehouse feel more like a bar, but it also quite possibly makes people look better. (Is there such a thing as coffee goggles?)

Undoubtedly, The 8th Note is different from other campus hangouts, and one of only two places students can smoke. (The Gasthaus also allows smoking.) It's surprising that such a low-profit establishment has maintained the most centralized space on campus since 1960, and, thankfully, hasn't been ousted for a Starbucks.

But relations between the UWM Union, and the Union Activities Board (the student group that runs the coffeehouse) aren't ideal. "Basically, the 8th Note feels like the bastard stepchild of the union," says Onorato, who admitted the opium den-ish coffeehouse had the reputation of being a place students went to skip classes.

But Onorato, one of the few non-smokers in the 8th Note, claims he is often the voice of reason, trying to encourage students to not only fill their coffee mugs, but their brains, too.

Big plans are in the 8th Note's future, including a new ceiling, a paint job, Internet access and -- you better find your date now -- more lighting. Onorato and the other UAB officers hope to host more bands and shows in the future. The 8th Note hosts a half-dozen bands every semester, as well as student film premiers and performances.

"We're open to anyone's art," says Onorato. "If someone wants to perform a one-woman show 'How to be a Tree' or whatever, we're here and we don't discriminate."