Alcohol makes its way back to Underground, Fred Red voted as UMW brew

By JANELLE BEHM

Last week, he Underground reintroduced beer and wine to the menu. This was kicked off with a free beer tasting hosted by the Student Government Association to help choose the official UMW beer.

Alcohol served on campus is not new, however. Students used to be able to purchase drinks at the Underground and the Nest just a few years ago, but only recent enough for current students to not be old enough to enjoy the options. Students attended Paint Nite, Bingo, open mic night, concerts and many more where students 21 and over can enjoy their favorite drinks.

Ethan Carter, the vice president of the SGA explained that the reintroduction of beer and wine to the Underground was suggested about a year ago. While serving alcohol on campus could be controversial, Carter took a different position.

“Administration seemed pretty receptive to the idea when it was first proposed,” Carter said.

There were hardly any obstacles along the way. Being that this is not necessarily new to UMW, this motion could not have been hard to accomplish. Because this update is new to campus and it is uncertain what is more popular among beer and wine, UMW Dining Services marketing manager Rose Benedict explained that they did not have enough time to determine student patterns, but on Feb. 3, it was announced by the Student Government Association that the official UMW signature brew would be the Fred Red.

“It was a pretty quick turnaround time considering all the factors involved with campus dining and alcohol logistics,” Carter said. Since the reintroduction, the university has not had enough time to evaluate the statistics.

“We had the kegerator installed shortly after everyone returned in January, but then it broke,” Benedict said.

Casey Bridgeman, senior psychology major, mentioned that her sociology class was discussing this new option. They talked about how it is a safer and cheaper option to go the Underground for drinks instead of venturing downtown. This way students do not run the risk of potentially driving or having to pay for an Uber to get downtown.

Now students who are 21 and over can have a drink after a day of classes and they do not have to go walk around downtown. In more recent years, alcohol in the Underground was introduced in the 2010 to 2011 school year but now in 2017 it is in full effect. The Underground is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. every day, serving beer and wine with a full menu.