The Skidmore community knows Falstaff’s to be a space that hold’s a multitude of club and concert events, but there’s been a renewed interest in turning the venue into a bar. There have been discussions in the past regarding a venue for of-age drinkers, even appearing in The Skidmore News, but the Student Government Association is now leading the effort.
Two students, Northwoods Senator Emma Porter ’20 and Vice President of Student Life Dana Tohme ’20 are at the helm of this project, though the process has been a collaborative effort between students, the Committee for Student Life (CSL), and the It’s Happening Here Commission (IHH). Porter and Tohme are also in constant communication with Robin Adams, Director of Leadership Activities, and have weekly meetings to discuss their progress and next steps.
Drinking culture on campus is not surprising, and the college has enforced its own set of criteria that are in accordance with both federal and New York State law regulations for the possession of alcohol on campus.
In addition, the Alcohol and Other Drugs Policy (AOD) promotes safety and holds students to consequential sanctions depending on the violation of the policy. Acknowledging the institution’s serious implementation of the AOD policy, Porter and Tohme consider Falstaff’s a solution to creating and supporting a safe drinking culture on campus.
Porter explains they want Falstaff’s to be a “space where all students are welcome and feel comfortable, regardless of whether or not students choose to participate in the drinking culture on campus.”
Their goals are “to maintain a safe and inclusive environment and incorporate conversations on safety and resources on campus into the culture we foster at Falstaff’s.”
SGA sent a survey on the topic and over 600 students have already given their input about their own ideas and support of this project. The results mostly indicated that students fear attending parties off-campus or going to bars in downtown Saratoga.
Porter and Tohme said that “having an accessible and central bar would decrease the potential risk students face when taking taxis, Ubers or Lyfts, or walking to and from downtown at night.”
Similar to the college enforcement of safety, Porter and Tohme, focus on creating an inclusive and comfortable space, but also ensuring students have safer options.
As the conversation continues, one of the major concerns that both have is the amount of time it will take to move forward, especially since the college is working on several other major projects — such as the athletic facility center and in-progress science building.
However, currently the next steps, according to Tohme and Porter, include scheduling trial events at Falstaff’s that will include the bar section and continuing to engage in conversations with the administration to execute change. Community concerns or ideas are always welcome, and students should feel comfortable reaching out.