The Saint

Story by Christopher J. Curry, Opinion Editor

One of the many new experiences of college life in the U.S. is being thrown into the modern-day drinking culture and nightlife. For some, it is the main reason – or only reason – they go to college in the first place. While the nightlife is full of good times, fun stories, and memories, it also bears with it a certain toxicity and danger as well.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) posted in July of 2023 a series of statistics that demonstrate the problem of alcohol abuse, particularly in the case of binge drinking, amongst college age students (18-24). The institute found that students who binge drink three times a week are almost six times more likely to perform poorly on a test or project and five times more likely to have missed class. Researchers also reported that between the years of 1998 and 2001, more than 600,000 students were hit or physically assaulted while alcohol was used by one or both parties. 

Suppose we had a way for students of age to enjoy and perhaps even learn how to use alcohol responsibly in a safe environment with peers and community members around at a discounted price instead of the typical bar rate. One option that would be beneficial is opening an on-campus bar.

An on-campus bar would be beneficial for multiple reasons. Being on campus, students would not have to drive to bars and there is then less of a risk for students receiving a DUI. The bar could also serve as a way to join together students and faculty to enjoy a glass of wine while discussing a new concept. Servers would have a greater incentive to cut off customers who’ve had too much. Instead of having off-campus events, the bar could serve doubly as a restaurant hosting events. 

One anonymous student mentioned Brink Hall would be a great option for a prospective bar. When asked how he would feel about opening a bar on campus, Junior Colin Roth replied, “That would be wonderful. It would provide students with a safe place to drink responsibly and support the school simultaneously.” 

There are a number of reasons why opening a bar would be beneficial to the students, staff, and Aquinas College as a whole. As the drinking culture off campus continues to prey on college students, there are alternatives, and a fine mean, between embracing such a toxic culture and invoking a puritanical mindset that eliminates any motive to learn how to imbibe responsibly. Could Aquinas College find such a means of opening an on-campus bar?

Featured Image by Sarah Lawrence, Aquinas College Yearbook, 1950.