Erica Eades and Rebecca Spence, Arts Editors
The Grawood: Great campus nightlife
If you’re coming to university straight out of high school, chances are you haven’t quite reached the legal drinking age in Nova Scotia (which is 19). But that doesn’t mean you don’t love a night out.
The Grawood Campus Pub, at the back of the Student Union Building, has a wet/dry policy gives underage students a taste of the Halifax nightlife, without the need of a fake ID. By giving wristbands to guests 18 and under, bar staff can easily identify the non-drinkers. This means students of all ages can have a safe and fun night out.
For those 19 and up, the infamous yards of beer are always a hit. These wooden trays hold about the same amount of beer as a pitcher, but they are conveniently pre-divided into seven or eight small glasses. They’re perfect for sharing amongst a few friends! The pub also offers numerous power hours and drink deals throughout the week.
Because the Grawood is owned and operated by the Dalhousie Student Union, it regularly hosts university-run events, such as the Think Pink fundraiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Dalhousie’s Got Talent, and an annual Halloween party.
The pub has also hosted numerous Canadian bands such as Sloan, The Joel Plaskett Emergency, and Ill Scarlett.
Trivia on Thursday nights is another Grawood staple. Come out with a group of friends and test your knowledge on a wide range of subject matter.
On Friday nights, the Grawood offers free bookings for Dal student societies. This provides an opportunity for societies to host banquets, fundraisers and various other social events.
If you’re just looking for a place to hang out with some friends, the pub offers a comfortable and casual environment that is sure to meet your needs. With pool tables, various seating areas and a decent-sized dance floor, the Grawood Campus Pub has something for everyone.
The Wardroom: Creepy only on Mondays
Located just below the Arts and Administration Building lobby on the King’s campus, the HMCS Wardroom functions as a student lounge by day and a local watering hole by night. Its wet/dry liquor license allows students of all ages to enjoy the low-key social scene that the Wardroom has to offer. The bar gives you the option to just relax and play some pool and foosball, or take advantage of the cheap bar prices and get a bit rowdy.
This year the Wardroom is under new administration and is also going through some minor renovations. Asher Goldstein, the newly-hired sales manager, says the new management structure has vastly improved their ability to create real and tangible change; both in the renovation committee process and in improving the Wardroom’s day-to-day operations.
“Not to deprecate the past organization, but there just weren’t the systems in place to organize proactive work and improvement,” says Goldstein, a third-year King’s student.
He says this year customers will likely see extended hours, a revamped product line increasing to six draft lines, and a more active inclusion of non-King’s students on slower nights.
Although he can’t say which beers will be on tap, Goldstein says students they will have “a lovely selection to suit the palate and season.”
In terms of the physical space, he says they are removing the hollow spots in the floor, as well as the busted piping beneath.
The new management team is committed to keeping the bar more financially accountable and stable, he says. They have found sponsorship agreements that will earn the bar enough money to mediate the cost of the minimum wage increases in Nova Scotia.
“That way we can keep the prices lower for our customers than they would have had to have been otherwise,” says Goldstein. “We want to make sure that the Wardroom will be here for another 31 years.”
The Wardroom, while it may not be the classiest joint in town, certainly has a lot to offer: proximity, prices and a friendly atmosphere. Do we need any other reason to check it out this September?
“Its not a place to go and get creeped on,” says Goldstein. “Except maybe on a Monday.”
Grad House: Re-opens in the fall?
If you asked a second-year Dalhousie student about the Grad House, they might reply with “huh?,” “who?” or perhaps “say whaaaaat?”
The Grad House is an enigma, wrapped in a riddle, nestled in a sesame seed bun of mystery. Okay, that might be an overstatement. To put it simply, it seems that nobody knows what the Grad House’s deal has been for the past year.
After closing its doors in April 2009, the new and improved Grad House was set to reopen in Sept. 2009. Month after month, students patiently waited for their beloved pub to come back. By spring thaw, it seemed that many of those students had given up and lost hope. Now, in August 2010 [at the time of publication], the President of the Dalhousie Association of Graduate Students (DAGS), Eric Snow, is confident that the Grad House is “on track to be open and fully ready to go for Orientation Week in September.”
“We’re ready to go!” says Snow in a letter he distributed to the student community.
Although Snow is vague about the reasons behind the frustrating delays, he alludes to problems with the building’s capacity. The initial building code set the capacity for the new Grad House at a mere 50 people. According to Snow, DAGS has successfully been lobbying the university to boost the capacity to 110 people – although that improvement will require further renovations.
The controversy over its frustrating delays aside, the new Grad House will have a ton of great features that will hopefully make the long wait worthwhile. From a fresh, modern space to chilled beer mugs to outdoor speakers on the deck, there are many perks to get pumped about. Students will also be able to enjoy snacks from the locally sourced food retailer, Café Europe, which specializes in French crepes, as well as soups, sandwiches, baked goods, and Samosas. In addition, students can purchase Laughing Whale fair trade, organic coffee.
There are even plans to mount a flat-screen television above the fireplace, with talk of hooking up an old-school Nintendo to the flat-screen. Just don’t be surprised if it doesn’t happen until 2016.
Recent Comments