On March 13, the Technician published an article titled “Plans for new Talley Student Center progressing”. Within this report it was mentioned that the renovated student center was to “include a wide variety of dining options that span multiple floors, a large sloped green space that will provide a view of a movie screen and a late-night hangout called the Beacon.” These plans are all well and good and make for very nice, pastel-colored architectural renderings, but the development students should be calling out for is something that would truly make the building a revolutionary, on-campus social spot. For once, it’s time for N.C. State University to do something bold with its on-campus entertainment options. It’s time to take a lesson from our friends across the pond and allow for development of an on-campus pub/bar. The newly expanded Talley Student Center would seem to be the perfect location.
While visiting England, I had the pleasure of spending a couple days at Keele University, a public college roughly a half an hour from Manchester. At Keele, students living on campus do not commonly wander on weekends unless it’s to other towns. For those seeking local nightlife excitement all that is required of them is a short walk over to the student union which houses dining establishments downstairs and a full-service night club on the top two floors. Like any American club, there is someone at the door to check IDs and to keep order. Unlike anything at N.C. State University, students are allowed to purchase and consume alcohol in a non-residential, on-campus building. If something similar was allowed to develop on our campus, the benefits would be numerous.
On-campus drinking establishments are a smart idea for several reasons. One of the most critical benefits of an on-campus bar would be an inevitable decrease in drunk driving. By encouraging bar-seeking students to stay on campus rather than wandering, the University is promoting an atmosphere of responsibility often overlooked in the ongoing N.C. State versus alcohol battle. Many students, rather than seeking house parties far down Avent Ferry road, would elect to simply stay on campus where they know they will not have to worry about seeking a safe ride home at the end of the night. An intoxicated, on-foot stumble back to one’s apartment at College Inn is certainly less harmful than a ten minute car drive home from an unfamiliar, off-campus apartment.
In a time of economic recession and budgetary doubts, university leadership would also be wise to consider the financial benefits to having a bar on campus. With the proper facilities and central location,Talley, an on-campus pub/club could serve as a substantial fundraiser for an increasingly cash-strapped university. This is not to say that an on-campus bar is going to magically solve the challenges brought about by Gov. Bev Perdue’s recent 6 percent cut, but perhaps the extra revenue could at least help justify the idea of a renovated Talley being an “investment” towards the campus’ future.
Undoubtedly, an idea like this will see it’s share of naysaying coming from a largely anti-alcohol leadership group who appropriates budgets for such measures. N.C. State makes it very clear through much of its on campus recreation programs that the university supports healthy alternatives to alcoholic entertainment. Rather than demonizing the inevitable, and accepting students are going to seek out booze, pub or no pub, why not create a safe, on-campus outlet where students can congregate, socialize, put money back into the school and walk home free of potential DUIs. This sort of “Rally for Talley” should be one a majority of students would get behind.
