As the latest effort in the decades-long student movement for an
on-campus bar, the undergraduate student government unanimously
approved a resolution Tuesday night officially supporting the
measure and calling for a referendum vote in the spring elections
to poll support among students.
The referendum acts as a survey of student opinion only and will
not determine or affect the ultimate decision on whether to build
the bar, which lies in the hands of the Associated Students
UCLA.
The referendum will only be added to the spring ballot if 15
percent of the undergraduate student population signs a petition in
favor of the addition, even though USAC adopted the on-campus bar
resolution.
If the beer-and-wine alcohol service is approved by
administrators, the building of the bar would be added to the
current series of planned renovations to the Cooperage in Ackerman
Union.
There have been several student groups who have pushed the
addition of an on-campus bar over the past 25 years.
They have met with little opposition from ASUCLA and the campus
administration, but their attempts have been unsuccessful thus
far.
Both ASUCLA Executive Director Bob Williams and Vice Chancellor
of Student Affairs Janina Montero expressed their approval to add a
beer and wine service to the Cooperage and to create a space where
students could come together.
Montero said she did not oppose the principle of serving alcohol
and supported “modeling responsible behavior” in an
“environment about community.”
Williams agreed that creating a space for students to drink
alcohol, and to drink responsibly, was a good idea.
“I have a very high level of confidence in students, and I
think students can be trusted to honor a privilege if it’s
given to them,” Williams said.
The original design of the Cooperage, created in the late 1970s,
included a bar area equipped with beer taps and wine fridges,
Williams said.
The eventual acquisition of a liquor license has been a part of
ASUCLA Food Services’ master plan since the 1970s as well,
Williams said.
One of the final stages to gain a liquor license includes a
posting process that requires the public to be notified of the
location where the alcohol will be served.
A liquor license will only be granted if there are no complaints
from the community.
The 1970s bar proposal failed to pass the community approval
stage, and therefore failed to acquire a liquor license, Williams
said.
The last time a formal design plan for the Cooperage renovation
including a sports bar was drafted was 2004, under the guidance of
the students association board of directors.
The creation of an on-campus bar is a long process that requires
approval by several legislative bodies and individuals, and
Undergraduate Students Association Council approval is only the
first step, Williams said.
The election results of the spring referendum vote will be used
to put pressure on the administrators, including the chancellor,
who ultimately need to approve the plans for an on-campus bar, said
USAC General Representative Brian Neesby.
Neesby campaigned as a part of the Bruins United slate during
last spring’s election. The slate’s campaign platform
included the opening of an on-campus bar.
USAC hopes the results of the referendum will “create
enough of a mandate of student support that the chancellor will
find hard to ignore,” Neesby said.
The resolution presented to council was drafted by the student
group Bruins for an On-Campus Bar.
The group was created two years ago by 2005 alumni Jordan Marks
and Thomas Pichotta Jr., who were disappointed to find themselves
unable to find an uncrowded place to have an alcoholic beverage and
watch a basketball game in Westwood with other Bruin fans, Marks
said.
Marks and Pichotta felt that “a place was needed where the
UCLA community could go to support their teams and bond,”
Marks said.
Bruins for an On-Campus Bar is an official student group
registered with the university, but holds no meetings and considers
its membership to be the 1,200 people who have joined its Facebook
group.
Although those on the USAC council voiced some concern about the
liability an on-campus bar would bring on the university, the
current food services master plan was drafted to help limit
liability issues.
The current plan requires a third party to sell and distribute
the beer and wine, which would remove liability issues from the
university entirely and help make the liquor license easier to
obtain, Williams said.
USAC also discussed the sports pub having high-tech methods to
check for fake IDs.
Also under the current Food Services Master Plan, beer and wine
would only be served by the glass.
Ultimately, though, opening a pub in the Cooperage is about
building campus community and spirit, Marks said.
The Cooperage bar would be a place for students “to put on
jerseys, their True Blue shirts, and support their Bruin
teams,” Marks said.
“In the end, the bar is not only about drinking, it is
about a place to call our own.”