The Working Group on Social and Residential Life reported that there were only two feasible locations for a pub at the present moment: the Chancellor Green cafe, the site of the old pub, and the tap room of Prospect House. It would be difficult to turn either of these locations into a pub. Chancellor Green cafe is already a successful hangout for the campus community and does brisk business in coffee and snack. To avoid eliminating the Chancellor Green cafe while creating a pub, a new European-style “pub/cafe” with both alcoholic beverages as well as the drinks and snacks currently served by the cafe would be the most desirable implementation of a pub at this location. A pub/cafe could be a space in which all students could mingle in the space and consume food as well as drinks. However, allowing students under 21 years old into the pub/cafe could make the University legally liable for underage drinking, which could be a substantial obstacle to the creation of a pub at this location.
Establishing a pub in Prospect House raises other issues. First, the cost of converting the Prospect House taproom into a pub is estimated at around $500,000, which could be a substantial financial impediment for the University. Second, the Prospect House space is currently largely reserved for professors and alumni. It is, for the most part, not open to the undergraduate student body. It may be the case that the administration, professors and the alumni base would like to keep Prospect House somewhat off-limits for undergraduates. This way, they can enjoy a space that feels uniquely theirs, without having to share it with undergraduates. It is reasonable for the faculty and alumni to want to keep the Prospect House space to themselves. Prospect House is currently an extremely professional environment, which is likely useful for conducting business and providing social recreation for the older members of the University community.
Despite these challenges, the Editorial Board would like to encourage the University administration to continue to pursue the creation of a campus pub. The financial, legal and logistical problems preventing the creation of a pub do not outweigh the potential benefits of a pub for the University community. As noted by the Working Group and the Editorial Board, there is a pressing need for an alternative to both the eating clubs and Nassau Street — a space where undergraduates, graduate students and faculty can socialize together. The Editorial Board would also like to make a new suggestion to the University regarding the location of the pub. The Board believes that the newly renovated Campus Club space could be a good site for the campus pub. The Taproom Cafe at Campus Club currently serves milkshakes and snacks, but might be much more successful both financially and as a space for student interaction if the menu also included reasonably priced beer and wine. We urge the administration to consider turning the Taproom Cafe into the campus pub, as it would likely be less expensive than the renovation of other spaces and does not have a well-established clientele.
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