The Lone Pine Tavern in the newly renovated Collis Center opens today but the question of who can frequent the pub still remains up in the air.
The decision as to whether the pub will be open to students of all ages or to those only 21 and older will be decided before the pub obtains its liquor license.
The tavern cannot serve alcohol until its application for a liquor license is processed by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission. Linda Kennedy, coordinator of student programs, said they hope to have the license within two weeks.
Questions concerning the feasibility of enforcing the legal drinking age have complicated the original plan to have the pub open to all students.
"In the process of applying for the state liquor license, the liquor commission questioned the wisdom in our decision to make the pub mixed age. The commission was not formally asking us to do anything," said Holly Sateia, dean of student life.
"They just wanted us to consider again if, realistically, we could do this," she said. "We thought it would be best to engage the campus in discussion of the issue before we made a final decision."
There are three main options for the tavern once alcohol is available: it can be a mixed age establishment, mixed age only on nights when no alcohol is served or 21 and older at all times.
Sateia said she wants the pub to be open to all students every night, but it is up to the students to follow the state's laws.
"I think this is something we can do on the Dartmouth campus," Sateia said. "If enough people talk about it and really want it to be mixed age, I think students themselves will make it work and honor the rules and regulations."
Kennedy said she thinks students are thrilled about the prospect of a campus tavern, but they must exert peer pressure on one another to comply with the state's regulations completely.
"You cannot sip someone else's drink or share just a little bit," Kennedy said.
Sateia said the College will not tolerate any abuse of the tavern's facilities.
"This is not something we are going to play around with. If we have any bit of trouble, it will immediately be limited to those who are 21 and older," she said.
If violations of the legal drinking age are discovered, Hanover Police, not Safety and Security, will be notified, and the tavern risks losing its license.
The New Hampshire Liquor Commission employs undercover agents and checks up on alcohol-serving establishments regularly. If violations are discovered, the consequences can range from a verbal warning to a suspension with a fine, an employee at the Liquor Commission said.
"The pub will be held to very close scrutiny. There is a lot on the line, but I feel we can hold the campus to this standard," Sateia said. "After all, there is a law. It is black and white. You must be 21 to drink legally."
Chris Cotton, manager of Murphy's Tavern on Main Street, has recently taken measures to lessen the incidence of underage drinkers in the restaurant-bar. Starting last September, he posted a doorman on peak business nights after food service has stopped, he said.
"The state is cracking down, and with the new lowered legal blood alcohol level ... we have to be responsible in terms of who is drinking," Cotton said. "Also, we align ourselves closely with the campus and do not want a reputation for encouraging underage drinkers."
Cotton said he thinks a mixed age campus pub will eventually run into problems with fake identification cards and people sharing drinks as Murphy's did.
Sateia said she is most concerned that students think obeying federal law is too much to ask
"What bothers me about the discussions I have had so far is that it seems as if we are asking for something really unreasonable. This really shouldn't be an issue," Sateia said. "I think another discussion should be whether students feel they've joined some private club allowing them to break the law. If a mixed age pub is not realistic, then we should discuss why that is."
"We are hoping for student response to this article. People can blitz me and my staff or the pub committee, and let us know what they think," Sateia said.
The pub will be open 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. on weekdays and 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. It will serve beer, wine and soft drinks, with a three drink limit for alcoholic beverages, Sateia said. Drinks can be charged to student I.D. cards but cannot be paid for on declining balance.
A College I.D. and another picture I.D. will be needed to get served alcoholic beverages and some sort of bracelet or stamping system will be implemented, but the details have yet to be finalized and will probably continue to be fine-tuned, Kennedy said.
The manager of the pub is Rey Rittner, hired by Dartmouth Dining Services, and Kennedy said he "will be around all the time and is delightful."
The Lone Pine Tavern will also offer an a la carte menu including open-faced sandwiches, meal-sized salads, stuffed baked potatoes and more.
A student programming committee will be in charge of finding student acts to provide entertainment during the tavern's hours.
"You do not have to go to the pub and drink," Sateia said. "Collis has traditionally been a site of non-alcoholic programming. We are introducing alcohol into the campus center to give students an alternative to fraternity basements and town bars."
Cotton said he is not too worried about a decline in business due to the new campus pub.
"It will make a dent, but I do not know that it will be significant," Cotton said. "We are a small establishment anyway. It will be no more a threat than the food commons."
