Coming from Madison, Wis., to go to school in Minnesota meant a lot of adjustments. For instance, saying “pop” instead of “soda” and referring to the childhood game duck duck goose as duck duck grey duck.
However, what surprised me the most was learning that there wasn’t a bar on campus at St. Thomas. And while alcohol sales shouldn’t be the definition of an accredited university, it does give students a safe and responsible option for drinking with their friends while bringing life and activity to campus. 
Since the first day that the Anderson Student Center opened its doors, I noticed room for improvement. Let me clarify, it is a beautiful facility and I am grateful for it, however, I think that there could have been more done in order to accommodate and welcome students in the space.
A recent article written about The Loft in the ASC really sparked my interest. It highlighted how the juice-bar has not yet made a profit or broken even in their sales since its opening in January. It seemed as though a transformation was in order. If The Loft transformed into a bar, I guarantee it would create revenue and drive students to campus.
First, the school needs a motivating factor in order to even consider putting a bar on campus, and money is a good motivator. If The Loft has failed to make a profit due to pricey drinks and three flights of stairs, something needs to be done in order for the school to keep it afloat and competitive with the other campus food outlets.
A bar would be the perfect solution to this problem. The Loft would be the only place on-campus to be able to purchase alcoholic drinks, giving it a competitive edge and a reason to drive students up to the third floor, acting as a motivator for the school and students. The school needs to make sales and students want to grab a brewski on-campus. It’s a win-win.
Second, a bar would drive a targeted group of students to campus. Many upperclassmen over 21 often neglect the student services available to them on campus. Many of the activities offered to students seem juvenile, even to those under 21. Double dutch tournaments and screenings of The Muppets Movie don’t sound all that enticing to many over the ages of 13. So, many either go home on the weekend or to the bar, leaving little life at St. Thomas. By adding a bar to campus, the university would begin to steer away from the suitcase college stereotype by allowing a place on campus for students to kick back and relax with their peers.
Alumni would also take advantage of a campus bar. Not only would it be a place for them to hang out while they’re visiting, but it would create memories for current students and serve as a walk down memory lane when they come back to visit their alma mater with friends and family.
Another benefit to having a bar on campus would be that it would improve student relations with Public Safety officers. It isn’t news that the university has a no-tolerance policy when it comes to underaged drinking, and many students take that out on the officers. By having a bar on campus, students would be able to observe Public Safety regulating student drinking in a comfortable and friendly environment.
The bar would also create different job opportunities for students. I know a couple of people who have bartending licenses and aren’t employed in the field due to a lack of experience or a lack of transportation. The on-campus bar would provide a safe and accessible way for bartenders to learn the tricks of the trade and get the experience they need to potentially continue in that field after graduation if the job market is still in a lull.
There is also the argument that other Catholic universities in Minnesota, like St. John’s and St. Mary’s, have on-campus bars, so why can’t we? Vice President of Student Affairs Jane Canney said location plays a huge role in that decision making process. St. John’s and St. Mary’s both are situated in small towns, whereas St. Thomas is in the heart of a metropolitan area, offering many more opportunities for nightlife.
Although there doesn’t seem to be a huge push for an on-campus bar at the moment, the university does sound open and receptive to ideas.
“I’m always open to talking about new possibilities,” Canney said. “I’ve been in student affairs work for several years and have worked on campuses, none of them have had bars. But, I’m always open to look at that, but I think there’s more to student life than alcohol.”
Olivia Cronin can be reached at cron2722@stthomas.edu.
While I agree with many of the reasons you give for having a bar on campus, I disagree with your suggestion of changing The Loft into a bar. I don’t think putting a bar in the Anderson Student Center is a good idea at all, and I don’t think it will be something students will be seeing in the future. Interesting article though!
Great article Olivia! I really like the points that you brought up about keeping students on campus on weekends, i never thought about that before. I am a campus tour guide and the question that gets asked, almost without fail on every tour is “Is St.Thomas really a suitcase school?”. Like an interview quest, i always find myself having to tell the truth but putting a positive spin on that answer. I do agree that a bar would offer great incentive to keep us ADULTS around campus. I have read countless articles where alumni and neighborhood residents don’t think that students should be drinking at all. Last time i checked the legal drinking age is 21 and as long as you surpass that one stipulation, you have every right to responsibly consume alcohol. The trick is the responsible part. I think that a bar on campus would allow newly legal drinkers a safe and monitored option to adjust to effects that alcohol has on your body. Not to mention the added source of revenue of UST. Plus, T’s or Scooters or the View could offer bar close special cause everybody knows, drunchies are always necessary. Again great article article Olivia, i hope administration takes a serious look at this prospect.
While many of the suggestions here are reasonable, they are not feasible. One of the main conditions for granting St. Thomas a liquor license was that they would not have a standing bar on campus. So, even if the desire is there, St. Thomas cannot legally operate a bar at this time.
You wish there was more to student life than alcohol…but there isn’t. Cant beat em join em
Love it. Great article and great reasons! One the fellow St.Thomas alums actually mentioned the same idea to me recently. And no, she is not a recent grad, she happens to be 30 years old.
Great article Olivia! How about a bar that only serves beer/wine? We don’t need kids going gun-ho on lemon drops and cherry kamikazes. It wouldn’t have to be open late either (like 2 am bar close) as to not attract a “bar crowd”. Perhaps about midnight or 11pm? Heck, put it on south campus so St. Thomas doesn’t have to worry about visitors seeing people that may have had too many!
Putting a bar on that campus would open perhaps the largest Pandora’s Box the University ever could. Yes, I love a good brew, but here I offer 3 reasons why UST should not/ could not make the loft a bar:
1) Olivia, new college-aged bartenders are highly susceptible to doing things for the wrong reasons (ie- selling to underage students). While that new bartender could get caught (and seriously punished), St. Thomas would get punished as well (probably would lose any liquor license they attained). St. Thomas cannot become the home to wannabe bartenders who went to bartending school. Real bartenders (like I was) generally work their way through the industry and begin to actually bartend after at least one year in a restaurant/bar as a server. The reason? To give the future bartenders experience in the difficult industry while showing them the massive penalties for breaking the law.
2) Newly 21 year-olds will binge drink, period. Having them drink on-campus would only serve to a) create more opportunities for Public Safety to bust people and b) create serious PR problems for St. Thomas… They could not have people acting like Tiffs on a Thursday for obvious reasons.
and 3….
3) Like Stefan alluded to, St. Thomas had a hard enough time changing their current liquor license. Trying to apply for a bar-style liquor license in the current UST/UST neighbor relations would be impossible. Why would the community allow for another place for St. Thomas students to procure alcohol? With the plethora of bars/pubs within a 10 minute cab ride of UST (Salut, Green Mill, the Blue Door, Billys, Plums, Tiffs, Dixies, Bonfire, etc.), the surrounding community would vehemently fight the addition of another beer establishment.
While all three of these reasons are strong, I cannot emphasize enough my first point. St. Thomas would also have to hire several new staff members who actually have experience in the industry to understand what to order, how to run the pub, operating hours, etc.
Fun idea for students to think about, but HORRIBLE idea from a UST perspective.
Well Tom, you just gave potential students some interesting reasons to not pick UST over a less expensive state school. Congrats.
John,
If any potential students are scared away from UST because of my reasoning for why UST does not (and should not) have a bar on campus, I would probably have done the school a favor.
Not to mention the potential students. ;)