Student bartenders will be reinstated on the Georgetown campus this Thursday in an effort to facilitate community building, said Brian Walsh (CAS ‘02).
In conjunction with Late Night at Leavey and the Georgetown University Student Association, Hoya’s restaurant, in the Leavey Center, will be offering a Student Bartender night from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. While students will have to be 21 to drink, all students will be able to enter the restaurant.
Walsh and Jeff Burns (CAS ‘01), both representatives of GUSA, developed the idea of a campus pub due to concerns of students leaving campus to attend local bars.
“Students go off campus to drink, and their behavior in the surrounding community as a result of this drinking poses two serious problems: 1) neighbor concerns about noise/general disruption and 2) student safety,” Walsh said in an earlier interview with the Voice.
“We want to provide a place on campus and keep more students on campus in a safe environment as well as a community feel environment,” Walsh said.
A student pub, The Basement, was once located in the basement of Healy and Maguire Hall. When the Leavey Center was opened in 1988, The Basement was moved into Bulldog Alley. Former Dean of Students James A. Donohue closed the pub in 1994 due to mismanagement.
Student identification will be checked at the door by Marriott employees for those who are of drinking age. Every student will need to show two forms of photo identification in order to get a bracelet which allows them to drink.
“Students should know that they have to have the proper ID to drink. [Students] can almost guarantee that there is going to be an ABC undercover cop there,” Walsh said. “We have faith in Georgetown students that they are going to take this responsibly because a lot is riding on this. We can show [the administration] that we can do this responsibly.”
While this will start with a Student Bartender Night, there is hope that in the future this might evolve into a more regular event, according to Walsh.
In order to attract students, there will also be a special deal on chicken wings and other food items and lower prices on pitchers of soda and beer. Hoya’s plans to decorate and play music to create an atmosphere more conducive to students congregating, said Walsh.
