Beer: Serving UNR’s traditions since 1873
Did the disappearance of alcohol on campus effect school spirit?
While today’s studies show that four-out-of-five college students drink, nary an alcoholic drop can be seen at University of Nevada, Reno-sponsored events.
But in the earlier years of UNR tradition, drinking was an intrinsic part of the proceedings. During such school events, drinking ranged from social to heavy but usually pervaded throughout traditional celebrations. Is the absence of alcohol the reason pubs are packed and school events are empty?
History of Alcohol at UNR
During the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s the university freely dispensed alcohol at homecoming parades, winter carnivals, back-to-school dances and other Associated Students of the University of Nevada events. One popular event Regent Jason Geddes remembers is “Hello on the Hill.” Held in Hilliard Plaza, the dance welcomed students back to campus.
“We set up the band on one end, serve alcohol and just have a big dance, welcome back to school party,” said Geddes, who graduated from UNR in 1990. “That was packed. I mean, we would fill that thing.”
He said alcohol was also present later in the year when ASUN events hosted comedians, bands and dances.
But in 1986, ASUN started to cut back on the number of events where they served alcohol, said Garry Rubinstein, coordinator of the substance abuse treatment program at UNR.
“It did appear to me that the only way students would go to events was if alcohol is present,” Rubinstein said.
He said no one event triggered this decline, just a general culture shift. Geddes said the students who followed his class, after 1990, appeared less interested in drinking.
Alcohol at UNR today
Today alcohol plays a much smaller role at university events. The school only serves it at football games and special events like artist receptions or banquets. Though the administration doesn’t keep track of how many students attend these special events, about 10 to 15 percent of attendees are under 21, said Jerry Marczynski, associate vice president of student life services, who approves requests for alcohol for events.
Student groups are allowed to hold events where they serve alcohol but everyone at the event must be 21 or older. Marczynski said almost no clubs at UNR meet the age requirement. He hasn’t seen any student club requests for alcohol since he started his job three years ago.
But past events show the presence of alcohol doesn’t guarantee popularity. Geddes said his school events were hit-and-miss even with alcohol present. He said the turnout was usually depended on the quality of the entertainment, not the amount of alcohol.
Even today ASUN is experimenting with a beer garden at the student tailgate for football games. At the student tailgate section, along with the free food and party games students can get into a sectioned-off beer garden with an ID.
Inside, students can buy beer at half the price it would be found in the stadium. The experiment has been considered a failure so far due to poor attendance, current ASUN President Eli Reilly said.
“It’s the rules,” Reilly said. “There were tons and tons of people in the unofficial tailgating locations having a good time, barbecuing, drinking, of course. There were lots of people up there because the rules weren’t being as stringently enforced as they were in the official tailgating area.”
Will it ever come back?
University President Milton Glick said, even if alcohol proves to increase event attendance, serving it is not appropriate since almost half of the student body is under age. However, a coalition of university presidents is petitioning the government to lower the drinking age to 18.
This may completely change the university’s policies when it comes to drinking. But Glick admitted he hasn’t thought a lot about what would happen if the laws change.
If the legal drinking age is lowered to 18, the university still start serving alcohol said Joe Crowley former UNR president and professor Emeritus. Universities still face one big problem: liability. If a university allows students to drink it might be held responsible if a student drinks himself to death.
“It’s a whole lot easier to get sued than it used to be,” said Crowley.
Did the disappearance of alcohol, weaken traditions at UNR? Most officials agree alcohol had something to do with it but it isn’t the only culprit. Geddes said traditions become irrelevant over time as students change. Freshmen traditionally wore beanies to school. But that tradition died when World War II veterans refused to wear them their first year.
Rubinstein likened school traditions to a house party.
“If you had a party and invited all of your friends, but told them, ‘Oh, no drinking tonight’ would your friends show up?” Rubinstein said. “Your friends would, but your other social acquaintances might not.”
Alcohol, like free food, is good lure for students who are not interested in tradition, Reilly said, but students who are interested in the event will still show up.
Reilly admitted the school has had problems with alcohol in the past, like John Davies, a student who drank himself to death in 1975 as a part of an initiation to a drinking club called the Sundowners. He said if the university provides alcohol at events, students must show they can act responsibly.
“It’s going to start with students, period,” Reilly said. “Things went away for very specific reasons with the Sundowners and things like that. If behavior in the student section improves (at football games), things like that will go a long way in showing we are responsible and we are ready to accept entitlement of having an alcohol venue on campus.”
Silver Peak Restaurant and Brewery
124 Wonder St.
The Silver Peak Restaurant and Brewery features a two-level brewery that produces 310 gallons (or 2480 pints) of beer in each batch. Silver Peak makes both ales and lagers; thus far, the brewery has produced about 20 different styles of beer varying with the seasons and the discretion of the brewer. While they strive to make each beer different from the others, they also aim to maintain the distinct style of that particular type of beer. A few years ago, the owners of the brewery decided to contribute to the city’s efforts to improve the downtown Reno area by opening the Silver Peak Grill and Taproom on Sierra Street to expand their business.Great Basin Brewing Company
846 Victorian Ave.
Established in 1993, the Great Basin Brewing Company is Nevada’s oldest and most award-winning brewery. The brewery usually serves four flagship beers and four to six seasonal specialties at a time. The beers brewed at the downtown Sparks location have won numerous awards from the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup, among others. The brewery also hosts many special events throughout the year, such as open mic comedy and live music indoors or outdoors on their dining patio, and offers space for banquets, private parties, and meetings.Buckbean Brewing Company
1155 S. Rock Blvd., Ste. 490
Buckbean Brewing Company was founded in 2007 with the intention of creating a new type of brewery that appeals to both male and female beer fans. The brewery specializes in two specific types of beer: Original Orange Blossom Ale—which is the first to use orange blossoms to add to the flavor and aroma of the beer—and Black Noddy Lager. The owners derived the name of their company from the buckbean plant native to the Tahoe Meadows, which has traditionally been used as a substitute for hops when brewing beer. The company plans to use the buckbean plant in the future to craft some specialty beers.Brew Brothers Microbrewery
345 N. Virginia St.
Located within the Eldorado Casino, Brew Brothers Microbrewery was named the Best Brewpub in America by Nighclub & Bar Magazine, as well as being named “Best Microbrew,” “Best Beer Selection” and “Best Live Music” in the Best of Reno poll. Brew Brothers is also the highest-selling brewpub in North America. The brewery features eight custom microbrew and offers live music regularly. It also hosts a variety of special inexpensive deals on specified nights, like Tuaca Tuesdays, Rockin’ Wednesdays, Sailor Jerry’s College Thursdays, and 3 Wisemen Sundays.—Casey O’Lear
Clint Demeritt can be reached at cdemeritt@nevadasagebrush.com
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