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The Rice Thresher
6100 Main Street (MS-524)
Houston, TX 77005-1892

Ever since the minimum drinking age in Texas was raised to 21, Willy's Pub has had difficulty making ends meet. Those who have been closely involved with the Pub in recent years have constantly worried about the Pub having to close due to financial problems.

During the 1993-94 school year, efforts were made in the form of the Save the Pub Club -- organized by a group of seniors. The club was a fund-raising organization. Fortunately they caught President Gillis' eye and he was able to reduce the cost of the lease.

While this helped "save the Pub," students are forgetting the effort and ignoring an almost 22-year-old Rice fixture. Maybe we are too busy. Maybe we are caught up in a college system that works too well. These may be contributing factors to the decrease in Pub attendance, but it is our opinion that the facility just gets overlooked -- not only by students, but by the administration.

Why is it that the CoffeeHouse is able to have a card reader and the Pub does not? The Pub carries larger overhead as it is open during the regular weekday hours five days a week. It cannot selectively open and close during the daytime when business is slow. A card reader might kill two birds with one stone.

First, the Pub would be able to attract a larger business clientele and greatly increase the daytime shift's potential for profitability. The current lunch crowd is mostly grad students and Sammy's overflow (a quick etiquette tip: bringing food from Sammy's into the Pub at lunchtime is rude. Most of the crowd doing this are graduate students who are older and should know better). Making lunch available by card reader will bring in more undergrads for something beside alcohol. That is the second benefit. The Pub could be seen as a place where people are encouraged to meet. Not meet and drink, just meet and maybe grab a sandwich.

After the April 1995 fire which destroyed the Pub, the administration showed how much it recognizes the value of the Pub by committing to rebuild it and provide it with more space. Hopefully, they will now go a step further and give the Pub the same privileges it recently gave the CoffeeHouse: a card reader.

By doing so, the administration would enable the Pub to draw the revenue necessary to become a place known for more than just alcohol.

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the March 14, 1997 issue.