Campus Bars

When I tell most people that my campus has a bar, they either respond with "Are you serious? Your campus has a bar? Wow, they have their priorities straight..." or "Duuude! You have a bar on campus!? Sweeet!" I doubt either response is what the university president had in mind. However, there are a lot of benefits to an on-campus bar. First of all, there are safety benefits. Instead of walking out alone in the cold or, worse, getting into a car to go get drunk, college students have a place close by where they can go with their friends and enjoy themselves without having to worry about who's stuck with being the designated driver or who's going to walk home with whom. And while the exclusivity of on-campus bars may seem detrimental to one's social life, it also prevents sketchy or rowdy characters from ruining everyone's night. The exclusivity also promotes college students really getting to know each other and meeting more people nearby. However, there will always be an appeal to town bars because, when you're stuck on campus all week to go to class and see the same people every day, it's good to get a break from it. But, from my experience, college bars are still far more appealing for the drink prices alone. Most drinks from a campus bar are at least a dollar cheaper than town bars and have multiple deals every night. Plus, the chances of you finding a friend willing to buy you a drink is much higher on campus. But the best thing about a campus bar is the history you find there. This may not be the same for all campus bars, but the bar on my campus is noticeably full of alumni memories. There are pictures of students everywhere from current students to some of the first. Championship plaques and school pennants are displayed and the tables are covered in alumni graffiti. It's one of the few places I've found where scratching your name in a chair is almost encouraged. Alumni have actually threatened to stop supporting the college if they shut down this bar just because of all the history invested in it. We're reminded of all the people who went to this school before us and how many have moved on to bigger things when we go to this bar. When you go to a bar, you only expect a few drinks, music and some company. But when you go to a campus bar, you get all that and more. You get an opportunity to see and become a part of a little piece of history.