The Gardens is on its last leg. Rumors confirmed by Eric Webb, director of dining life and services, say the Gardens will be closing next semester.
Alcohol on college campuses is controversial and rightly so, but the Gardens are more than a place to drink. They’re a place to socialize and to participate in the popular American pastime of drinking beer in a mature and responsible way.
Even Thursday afternoon there were about 10 people in the Gardens, reviewing their notes, sharing funny stories from the week, spending time with a significant other and sipping a beer.
Drinking is part of American college student culture. There are horror stories in the Rolling Stone UVA alleged rape case and movies like “Animal House” where drinking gets a bad rap. But there are many cases of students 21 and over drinking responsibly in moderation that do not lead to breaking the law. Students will drink, like it or not; the question is should we learn how to do it responsibly or go downtown where anything goes?
The Gardens is a bar, but also much more. It is a hangout, a place to gather on a Thursday night after a long week and blow off some steam without braving the downtown bars. The Gardens don’t serve hard liquor-so no tequila shots-only a beer or two. Chances are someone will still be under the legal limit, and there’s Safe Ride, to prevent drinking and driving.
It appears the official reason the campus’s only bar is closing is because it doesn’t make money. If this is the case then it is time to show as a campus community that we don’t want this hangout to disappear.
A couple people on WyoVocal said they would be willing to pay more for beer if it will help the Gardens stay in business. Raise prices. Start charging to see StudioWyo shows. Let’s help this place stay in business.
However, other circulating rumors deal with the nature of alcohol on campus.
Hopefully in the not too distant future these rumors will be officially put to rest but until an official statement is issued, we as a student body will fight to prove that we can drink responsibly. If administrators want to curb student drinking and its harmful effects then there are more effective ways to do it than closing a bar where alcohol is regulated. Have more bystander training. Teach responsible drinking, where it doesn’t have to be isolated to an over the top speak easy.
The Union has historically undergone many changes. Many businesses have come and gone. We’ve lost a bowling alley, barber shop and a malt shop. We’re fortunate to have Pete’s Game Room and the ping-pong tables, let’s not lose another historic campus feature.
Do all you can to show that we need the Gardens, that we like the Gardens. Go to the meeting to save the Gardens on Monday in the Union. Post to WyoVocal. Go like the “Save the Gardens” Facebook page. Flood the site with your comments. Go to the Gardens to show that it can be a profitable business. Do not let this all too important campus feature disappear. It may be a bar, but it’s also much more.
