U. considers new pub in Cafe Viv

Last May, the Working Group on Campus Social and Residential Life recommended the return of the pub, which was previously located in the cafe in Chancellor Green. This semester, a steering committee will meet to consider issues surrounding its implementation, including food and beverage dispensation and hours of operation.

Amy Campbell, executive director for administration and planning in the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life, will chair the group.

The previous pub was open in Chancellor Green cafe for 10 years but was closed after the state of New Jersey raised the drinking age to 21 in 1983. In 2006, the University planned four events in the Chancellor Green cafe to test the idea of reopening a pub, but the series was canceled after the first pub night when the University was unable to secure a permit.

University Vice President and Secretary Robert Durkee ’69 said that there were “a number of missteps at that time that derailed those conversations” about reopening a pub. He added that one of the charges of the working group was to determine if enough time had passed to reconsider reinstating the pub.

“The 2006 event was a one-time event,” Campbell said in an email. “The University had a campus pub for many years, so this is simply revisiting something that was part of the University, a place where all members of our community can come together to enjoy good food, conversation and entertainment.”

Durkee said there was now increasing interest from students and others in creating environments that encouraged responsible consumption of alcohol.

“The idea is that drinking in and of itself is not a bad thing, as long as it’s done in a responsible way, and in an appropriate setting, and this would be creating a responsible setting where consumption of alcohol could occur,” Durkee said. He added that support for this idea has been almost unanimous, with members of eating clubs in favor of it as well.

“I don’t know if anyone saw this as being in competition [with the clubs],” he said of the 1970s pub. “It provided an attractive, different kind of alternative. And the expectation was that members of clubs would be as interested in spending time in the pub as those who were not [members of clubs].”

Campbell said that the committee is currently considering Cafe Viv because it makes the most logistical sense.

“We are considering Cafe Vivian because of its central location, which currently has a food service operation, and is regularly used by faculty, students and staff. Cafe Vivian would require only modest renovation and it can be easily adapted for a variety of uses,” she said.

Durkee also noted the advantages of a space in Frist Campus Center because it is close to pool tables and televisions.

Campbell said that even if Cafe Viv were to be converted into a pub, it would still be open during the day to serve members of the campus community and the general public, as it does now.

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“We expect the campus pub to operate beginning late afternoon and early evening of some days of the week, and it will be open to all members of the University community,” she said. Determining the hours of operation and the details of the serving policy is part of the committee’s task.

She also said that the group is still determining the possible costs associated with the project, but Durkee said he did not think the pub would be unreasonably expensive. He added that if the pub were to open, the necessary renovations would be a funding priority.

While Durkee said that the funding should not be a problem, the timetable for the pub’s opening remains uncertain. Campbell said that there is no set date for the opening of the pub. She explained that the schedule would depend on a number of factors, including the extent of needed renovations to Cafe Viv and the timetable for receiving a license from the state to operate the pub as a nonprofit club. Durkee said it will be hard to predict how long it will take to reopen the pub.

“I know the group would like to see the pub open sometime in the next academic year, but I think we just don’t know enough yet [about] how long it would take to go through the approval process,” he said. “We are just beginning the process of understanding what steps we have to go through, and starting conversations with the outside officials.”