Metamorphosis under Memorial Hall

On a stereotypically nerdish campus situated in a historically alcohol-fearing state, the prospect of large numbers of students congregating together and enjoying $1 drafts is a welcome one. We hope that Friday’s first ever Harvard Pub Night in Loker Commons will be successful, and well attended, enough to convince administrators to make it a regular occurrence.

The underground expanse of Loker Commons has failed to attract crowds ever since its renovation in 1992, and the idea of putting the eerily empty and neon-enhanced space of to better use during the weekends is not a new one. Of the many attempts to invigorate Loker, though, none have enjoyed any sort of real success, and most have been rather dismal failures. This past fall’s freshman “second chance dance” stands out as a particularly good example of what happens when event planning in Loker goes awry: slim crowds, an excessive amount of awkward milling and very little student enjoyment.

However, the miserable performance of previous events designed to utilize Loker more effectively does not doom Pub Night to a swift and ignominious end. The fundamentally better premise of Harvard Pub Night, as well as the large amount of effective energy and planning devoted to it, seems likely to result in an experience that is welcome and enjoyable. Felipe’s burritos and Pinnochio’s pizza are excellent enough in their own right; combine them with cheap beer and good music, and they can be the cornerstone for a truly enjoyable evening.

The pub night would not have been possible without the concerted efforts of several individuals and organizations. Thanks are due to Harvard Student Agencies (HSA), to Veritas Records, to Associate Dean of the College Judith H. Kidd and to Zachary A Corker ’04, the assistant to the dean for special programming. HSA has taken the lead in promoting and advertising for Friday’s pub night, doing some of the unglamorous logistical heavy lifting that makes such events possible, while Kidd gave the OK to the pub night and has been increasingly receptive to student ideas for social activities. As for Corker, he showed once again that his position, while often maligned or disparaged, is capable of seriously impacting student social life for the better.

While welcome, we hope that Friday’s pub night does not signal the end of serious efforts to make Loker more usable and student-friendly. Eventually, we hope to see the permanent establishment of a student-run pub in Loker. Such a pub would help to offset the serious void created by the continuing lack of a student center, and would go far towards making Harvard’s undergraduate experience more enjoyable and cohesive.

To students planning on attending Friday’s festivities: Bring friends, socialize, eat some pizza, munch on a burrito, and drink some beer; but at the same time remember that your behavior will determine whether pub night will be a flash in the pan or a recurring and eagerly anticipated event. Especially with cheap alcohol being served, reasonable is the word for the evening. Having one, two or maybe even three beers is good, having twenty is not. Even one student hospitalization will convince the administration that pub night isn’t worth the effort since. If nothing else we agree with Corker that Friday turns out be a “non-awkward gathering,” but we hope, and think, that it can be much more than just that.