In a recent statement to an Argus reporter, Vice President of Student Affairs Mike Whaley nixed a proposal that has floated around campus for almost a year: to revive the Cardinal Pub as an add-on to the front of WesWings. Whaley cited zoning restrictions and liability issues as explanations for not going through with the plan. Perhaps more telling, however, is Whaley’s reasoning that “students who are of legal age can easily walk to any number of establishments that serve alcohol on or near Main Street,” and that the administration would “prefer to direct valuable University resources to other ventures more aligned with our core mission.”
We find that this line of argument reflects unwillingness on the part of the administration to seriously engage in what we feel is a terrific idea that would benefit the campus in a few different ways. To begin with, the comprehensive plan proposed by WesWings owner Ed Thorndike ’89 indicates that the Pub would provide a social space that encourages responsible alcohol consumption. The Pub would be open four or five nights a week from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., during which time it would serve only wine and beer in bottles and on tap, which patrons would purchase using cash, credit cards, or Middletown cash. The bar would not serve hard liquor, nor would it allow students to blow through much-needed points on a Friday night drinking spree. Only Wesleyan students and guests would be allowed inside, a rule enforced by a Public Safety officer who would ask each student for both their proof of age and Wesleyan I.D. In other words, it would allow students of legal drinking age to congregate and socialize in a safe and comfortable on-campus setting. While Dean Whaley seems to think that students can stroll down to town bars just fine, he fails to recall that students have to return from these off-campus sites by walking or driving back, often in various states of intoxication. An on-campus Pub would reduce these potentially dangerous situations. Additionally, an on-campus Pub would provide a University-sanctioned late-night hangout for students to flock to if senior woodframe parties are broken up. One does not have to think too hard to recall recent situations where a viable after-hours social space may have provided a healthy alternative to, say, congregating in city streets.
What’s doubly frustrating is that the administration seems to be willfully ignoring the fact that so many potential obstacles to making this proposal a reality could be easily overcome. Too expensive? Thorndike’s proposal shows willingness to take on a healthy amount of the financing. Worried about students over-drinking and legally blaming the University? A sensible drink limit within the Pub would cut down on such situations. And let’s not even pretend that student support is a problem; a recent WSA poll asking about interest in an on-campus pub received 448 positive student votes versus only 48 negative responses.
More than anything, it seems as if the administration simply does not want to be bothered with this issue, as it does not directly fall into the purview of their “core mission.” We admit that providing a place for responsible and sociable on-campus drinking lacks the cache of other University projects; indeed, it forces the administration to acknowledge that University students (gasp!) like to enjoy an alcoholic beverage or two with friends. By refusing to support a project that would work towards normalizing alcohol consumption on-campus as a legitimate activity to be respected by those of legal age, however, the administration takes a depressingly out-of-touch stance on an issue that could have proved beneficial for the campus as a whole.
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