Mary Grygier

“Can anything replace the beloved Old Stone Jug?” asked junior Renata Burnett in her recent piece, “Hot Topic: Is the Jug Old News?,” published in The Colgate Maroon-News. Since the release of the piece in September, we have heard nothing new from John “Jug” Koen, the bar’s owner. Instead, first-years have been left to short-lived, increasingly-cold gatherings outside on-campus locations like the 113 Broad Street Complex. 

While these gatherings were a fun introduction to the social scene at Colgate University and a good way to make friends at the beginning of the year, gathering outside of a dorm has proven to get old — and cold — very quickly. This is for a number of reasons, but what strikes me as the most concerning is that it’s extremely disruptive for students who live in the dorms nearby. For students who are trying to study or sleep, loud music and crowds of first-years singing as well as socializing are anything but ideal. Furthermore, it leaves the ground irresponsibly littered in trash for Colgate’s Facilities Department to clean up. These gatherings are a product of the lack of social scene options for first-years and they result in the disrespect of both residents and staff at Colgate. 

The lack of a going-out scene is an issue for the students seeking nightlife, other students who are disrupted by it, staff on campus and even parents who have been complaining about this situation in social media groups (such as the infamous Colgate University Parents Facebook Group) since the school year began. 

In what I believe to be a response to the lack of nightlife this year at the Jug, Colgate recently hosted a “Halloweekend Party” on Friday, Nov. 3 at Donovan’s Pub.

“Come to the Halloween weekend party at Donovan’s Pub for free food, music and giveaways!” read the invite on the Colgate Events Calendar. 

The party was what it said it would be — there was free food and a couple of student DJs at the event. Many fellow first-years attended, but I noticed that people did not stay for long, and the crowd died down as the night progressed. I think what this experience lacked was something separate from Colgate. While I, as a first-year, have never been to the Jug, I can imagine that it gave first-years a greater sense of independence and a much-needed separation from Colgate’s campus. 

Unlike bigger schools, Colgate does not offer much outside of its campus, but the Jug offered an experience that may have been more bar or club adjacent. I think that the lack of a “going-out scene” for first-years takes away from the social experience of college as a whole.

I’ve found myself scrolling through Instagram posts of my high school friends at bigger schools, enviously watching them have access to nightlife right outside of their campuses. While I knew that wasn’t what I wanted going into college, and I wouldn’t say that’s changed, I can’t help but think about my friends having fun at clubs while I’m standing in a crowd outside 113 Broad St. or even sitting down at Donovan’s Pub watching a small group of people dancing. 

I see that Colgate is taking initiative by hosting something like the Halloweekend Party, but I don’t think Donovan’s Pub is capable of replicating the off-campus experience of the Jug. I also found it to be a staunch reminder that we were very much on campus when I saw Campus Security patrolling the event and was greeted by adults at all of the doors. 

So what do I think Colgate should do? To be honest, I’m not sure I have the solution. But I do know that standing outside 113 Broad St. is increasingly less appealing as the temperature outside starts to drop, and Donovan’s Pub may just have to be our only option. Perhaps Colgate can take further initiative to provide a social sphere for first-years, such as hosting more events at night and on the weekends. For now, it looks like the Jug is not on the horizon anytime soon, so instead, first-years are left to whatever Colgate has to offer.