College To Study Permanent Pub

The success of the recent Harvard Pub Night series has inspired College administrators to go forward with preparatory studies for building a permanent pub in Loker Commons, with renovations slated to begin as soon as the summer of 2006.

Special Assistant to the Dean for Social Programming Zachary A Corker ’04 said that the College will pursue a feasibility study, analyzing both potential layouts and costs, which should be completed by the end of this summer.

“The success of Pub Nights is a clear indicator that Loker Commons, with the right adjustments, can be a real center for student life,” Corker wrote in an e-mail.

Over 4,500 students have attended the five events thus far. Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 has called them “a great addition to the social scene this semester.”

Associate Dean of the College Judith H. Kidd said that administrators, faculty, and staff have shown strong support for the Pub Nights.

“I’m not only happy that the students have responded so positively to the Pub Nights, but also that the whole College is responding so favorably,” Kidd said.

“The fact that we’re doing the legwork now means that we’re seriously thinking about this,” Kidd added.

Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby expressed his enthusiasm as well.

“I’ve been a strong supporter of the idea of a pub in Loker, and the great success of pub nights indicates that the students like the idea too!” Kirby wrote in an e-mail.

Corker, who will assume the position of project manager for the feasibility study, said he wants to meet with student groups over the coming weeks to discuss what they would like to see in Loker Commons on a regular basis.

He also said that he will be working with many of the student leaders that have helped him in the planning and execution of Pub Nights this spring, including representatives from Harvard Student Agencies (HSA) and Veritas Records.

But as yet, no specific plans relating to how the pub should be structured have been decided.

“We’re starting with a blank slate,” Corker said. “We want this to be student driven....I’m here to be a sponge for student opinion and feedback.”

He said that the College has been in talks with a number of architectural firms as well.

“The potential here is huge, so we want to make sure we’re taking full advantage of the opportunity,” Corker said.

Kidd said that designs for a pub in Loker are separate from any forthcoming plans for a student center in Allston. “Allston plans are 10 years away. We need something for students now,” she said.

Kidd and Corker have worked closely with Veritas Records and HSA to plan and execute the Pub Nights this past spring. Since February, up to 1,332 students have attended each event, which have featured campus bands and $1 draft beers.

A second series of Pub Nights will begin next fall, and the College is currently determining a management structure to run the events, according to Corker.

Corker added that this will allow his successor, Campus Life Fellow in the Harvard University Management Fellowship Program Justin H. Haan ’05, to devote more time to supporting student-initiated events and activities.

“I look forward to incorporating not only the great legacy that Zac has left but also getting more information from student input,” said Haan, who is also a Crimson editor.

In 1992, Harvard received a $7 million donation from Katherine Bogdonovich Loker to transform the basement of Memorial Hall into a student center. Since its conception, the space has been used for number of purposes, including Fly-By lunches for upperclassmen and problem set study sessions, but tends to empty out in the evenings.

Veritas Records co-founder Daniel J. Zaccagnino ’05 stressed that plans for the permanent pub will try to avoid pitfalls that have plagued Loker Commons in the past.

“The pub shouldn’t try to fulfill a million different purposes,” he said. “It should feel and look like a cool Harvard hang out place. You shouldn’t be able to tell if it’s five years old or 25 years old.”

However, some remain skeptical that the plans will be executed soon.

HSA Pub Night Event Manager Daniel L. Rodriguez ’05 said that he worries that the renovations might not follow a sufficiently swift timetable.

“Last Friday’s Pub Night was the most successful by far, but if funding is delayed by too long, the university may view waning interest as a sign that the renovations are not appropriate, and we may miss our window of opportunity to make a positive impact on the social lives of thousands of undergrads,” he wrote in an e-mail.

But Gross reiterated that he wants plans to move forward quickly.

“I am off in a moment to pick up my son, for a visit to NYC to see Columbia and NYU. Of course, I hope the pub is in place by the time he decides to go to Harvard,” he wrote in an e-mail Friday.

—Staff writer Nicole B. Urken can be reached at urken@fas.harvard.edu.