Cheap alcohol in Club serves small turnout

People who like the taste of alcohol may be seen at the local bar enjoying their beverage of choice, but staff at The Club in the Sam Rayburn Student Center (SRSC) of Texas A&M University-Commerce will hope to see them in their facilities soon.

Since The Club has previously held events with the option to consume beer or wine, some people are asking why The Club cannot serve these beverages more often. Neither the Club nor the university holds a beer and wine license. Sodexo, which does hold a license, is the third party distributing the alcohol.

The Club pays Sodexo to not only serve the beverages but also to be responsible for the proof of age for each participant. The Club Coordinator Wayne Grabow believes The Club could be a better alternative for college students of legal age to drink alcoholic beverages.

"In my opinion, some bars are not as safe as The Club," Grabow said.

Although there are some regulations and restrictions that apply to each event, The Club is in the process of finding their audience, according to Sodexo General Manager John Offerle.

The Club has been trying to push more events with alcohol as an option, but Grabow is hesitant to promote these drinking events outside of the SRSC because of the unknown reaction that could follow.

"I want to stick one foot in the water at a time before we jump all the way in," he said.

Although there has not been any negative feedback from serving alcohol at The Club, Grabow still feels it is necessary to gradually introduce the idea.

Due to limiting promotion of "wet" events to inside the SRSC, The Club has only seen a few operations succeed. The Monday night football event that served inexpensive beer and free wings did not have a great turnout. The Kappa Alpha Air band Competition held in the spring did better.

"The Kappa Air band turned out pretty good and no one got rowdy," Elliot Johnson of The Club crew said.

The Club is trying to find better ideas to promote their drinking audience, but they must also break even financially. The Club has not made any money off of the previous events, according to Grabow, so their price going out has to be worth it in the end.

"Like any new operation, The Club is competing with other companies, bars and organizations," Offerle said. "With some events the beer hasn't been as popular as I'd like it to be, but it will get better."

The Club strictly prohibits any bring your own beverage (BYOB) form and will may never serve alcohol on a daily basis. The events that have alcohol will be only on special occasions and will be catered by Sodexo.

"Alcohol might be the only thing that gets me to The Club events, because I do not know many people and I would be more comfortable socializing with alcohol involved," Mia Bechak, a frequent attendee of The Club said.

When The Club or a student organization wants to hold an event where beer and wine could be served, certain criteria and steps have to be made. These steps include and are not limited to: completing the authorized paperwork 30 days in advance of the event, an estimated guest list, approval from the SRSC Director Tim Willet, and a risk assessment provided by the University Police Department. Because the events with beer and wine are expensive, The Club has to limit their selection process.

"I'd like to see people given the opportunity to make the decision to drink or not; that's what college is about," Grabow said. "We don't want the student body to take advantage of consuming alcohol, but anyone that is 21 should have that option."

The Club's operating hours are 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.