The Round Room sold beer at events last Monday and Friday for the first time since 1992. The events, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Monday, and ‘Family Night’ on Friday were trial days to gauge the student response of using the Round Room as a pub next year.
The Round Room, which seats 90, saw 100 people come and go between 8 and 11 pm while the NCAA Championship game was going on and almost 120 people during ‘Family Night’, which featured UVM PM showing episodes of The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Futurama during the same hours. Movies, basketball jerseys and t-shirts were raffled off at both nights.
“I think this is a good thing,” said Cathy Burrows, Food Service Manager of Billings. “You have to try things to see what works out.”
The question of whether or not the Round Room would be successful and profitable as a bar still remains. According to Burrows, on Monday night six cases of Budweiser, Bud Light, and Long Trail were sold throughout the night. As of 10:30 on Friday night, they had yet to sell a full case of beer.
Senior Rob O’Brien likes the idea of a pub at UVM, “It would keep people on campus.” When asked about the prices of beer he felt they were fair but suggested that the university subsidize the beer.
One of the issues facing the Round Room as a pub is whether or not people would come. The majority of students eligible to drink alcohol live closer to the bars in Burlington than to Main Campus, and already have a routine of going to those bars. But if the Round Room were to serve beer would the students make their way up the hill for some UVM-only nights of bonding with one another?
“It’s not intended to be a hot spot, that’s not what we’re trying to push here,” said Student Government President, Joe Thibault. “But for a Monday night and a Friday before Easter I think this was pretty successful.”
Thibault pointed out the fact that Monday was more alcohol oriented and Friday was not as much. He hopes that in the future there would be a mix of sports games and move night events at the Round Room where alcohol would be served, but not a priority. “It’s nice just to have the option,” added Thibault.
