Waterloo’s campus has one, as well as many other schools. It’s not just a place to sit and drink, it’s also a place for students to come together, socialize, and for Laurier Brantford, it could provide another option other than N.V. Talks of LB getting it’s own student pub has been in the works, and while it could still be a bit longer, there are people who’s efforts are trying to make it happen.
Lauren Silvestro, Associate Vice President: Clubs & Activities, and Melissa Heaman, who held that position last year, started working on a student pub last year. “My focus was more on partnering with local bars to provide programming for students with the resources we had available downtown,” Heaman explains. “Other than informal conversations with university staff members and Students’ Union staff, no real progress was made last year to advance the creation of a campus pub,” she says.
While little progress has been made here, the success of Laurier Waterloo’s “the Wilf” can show how successful a campus pub can be. The Wilf has had live bands, trivia nights, “Hawk Den” (a spoof of Dragon’s Den, the television show), and open mic nights. For the month of November, the staff donated their tips to Movember. The Wilf also delivers to first year residences. Nick Dufour, Residence Don and worker at the Wilf says, “I think an on campus pub is great because it provides students a place to go and just relax after class, or even just a bite to eat with friends.” He continues to say that, “It also provides a great campus atmosphere where you’re always bound to see a bunch of people you know.”
Stephanie Chartrand, third year student at LB thinks that it would be a great add to the campus here in Brantford. “Yes I would definitely like to see one here at LB, I’ve been to another school and gone to one of their pubs and I thought that it was nice to have a low-key place to have drinks and talk with people,” she says. Chartrand also suggested it would be a good place to watch sporting events which would also bring the community together. “A place that just belongs to the students is really nice. I think for a campus that is inspiringly different in how it has integrated itself in the community could benefit from having a place for just their students,” she explains.
While the idea for a campus pub at Laurier Brantford still needs a lot of work, it is most certainly an idea that has been successful amongst many other schools and students. The desire for a campus pub needs to be shown, as well as dedication and the proper finances, which are key. “Typically, business operations such as a pub would be done by full-time staff members for the Students’ Union, rather than having student executives on one-year contracts taking on the task,” Heaman explains.
Our time at Laurier Brantford goes by quickly, if we want to see more for our campus, and enjoy more experiences while we can, the time to do so is now.
