Sometimes you want to go … where everybody knows your name …
– “Cheers” theme
UCLA is iconic among American universities, receiving the most
applications and often becoming the backdrop for college-themed
films. But for the most part it has lagged behind in one aspect of
college life ““ serving alcohol to students on campus. This
could change sometime in the future, with the Associated Students
of UCLA discussing a possible plan to bring a pub to the student
union, as part of their Student Union Strategic Initiative. ASUCLA,
which runs most of the campus eateries, stores, Kerckhoff Hall and
Ackerman Student Union, is considering following the lead of six
other University of California campuses by serving alcohol at an
on-campus venue. Preliminary plans are to have the pub in the
Cooperage on the A-level of Ackerman, but nothing is solid on the
concept yet. The association first needs to “find out what
responsible alcohol use on a campus would look like,” said
ASUCLA Executive Director Pat Eastman. The planning process has to
be taken very slowly, said Robert Naples, assistant vice chancellor
of student and campus life. “This is an area that needs to be
discussed every so often,” Naples said. ASUCLA is asking the
right questions about issues such as health and safety, resources,
and its effect on the general campus climate. He added, “It
is important that they ask and consult the appropriate people, but
they are not quite ready to propose it yet.” Some say the
possibility of a pub at UCLA is a reasonable idea to consider,
especially with the large number of drinking-age students attending
the university. “It’s a good idea,” said Edwin
Hill, a graduate student in French. “Our campus is
surprisingly conservative sometimes.” Others feel serving
alcohol on campus to students would not be appropriate when
considering the number of young students at the university who
could end up frequenting the pub. “I don’t have a
problem with it, but there are a lot of undergraduates who are not
of age,” said law student Jessica Kim. Regardless of the
debatable alcohol issues involved in bringing an on-campus pub to
UCLA, one student government leader said the potential
crowd-gathering ability of a pub could ultimately benefit the
student union. “It would bring the center of student life
back to the union,” said Ryan Wilson, Campus Events
commissioner for the Undergraduate Students Association Council.
Campus Events is the USAC commission responsible for many
student-run entertainment events on campus, such as the movie
series in Ackerman Grand Ballroom and concerts in Westwood Plaza.
Wilson added that with a pub, the Cooperage could become a venue
“that would work well” for the commission in terms of
hosting live music. “Something has to be done to make the
union desirable again,” Wilson said. The idea is not foreign
to Chris Shaw, a graduate student in comparative literature who
previously attended UC San Diego, where there is a pub and a
pizzeria that serves beer. “It was frequented often, and they
had a couple places that had shows on campus,” Shaw said.
“It was a lot more interesting … that’s the one thing
UCLA doesn’t have.” Naples said with careful
consideration and strategy, a pub might work at UCLA. “It
could be successful and a good idea if it is planned and done well,
but personally I’m cautious right now,” he said. With
reports from Amy Frye, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.