Cardinal Nights—the Office of Alcohol Policy and Education (OAPE)’s alcohol-free entertainment initiative—will operate equally attractive non-alcoholic beverages (EANAB) bars on the Row on weekend nights starting at Admit Weekend’s Black Recruitment & Orientation Committee (BROC) party.
According to Matthew Billman ’15, one of the students leading the project, the bars will offer an alternative for students choosing not to drink.
“I call them nucleation sites for people who choose not to drink [and] have the Row experience without the alcohol pressure,” Billman said. “They’ll serve almost as social networking opportunities for substance-free people.”
The bars will be transferred between party locations using a golf cart and will feature virgin cocktails inspired by those served at last year’s Lagunita Dining Hall Mocktail Thursday nights.
“We’ll be mixing drinks and then maybe having information sheets saying ‘this is what we’re doing; this is why we’re here, etc.,’” Billman said. “It will [have] all the furnishings of a normal bar without the alcohol.”
The bar will also provide students who choose to drink with a chance to sober up with some EANABs that are more elaborate than the average mixer, according to Billman.
“We really hope that this project will lower transports and encourage healthier drinking habits such as keeping yourself hydrated if you do choose to drink,” said Elizabeth Patiño ’14, who has collaborated with Billman on the project.
The EANABs bars idea came out of a brainstorming meeting hosted by OAPE last fall, reflecting input from OAPE, the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Inter-Sorority Councils, a group of Stanford parents and Billman and Patiño, who are residents in Mirrielees’ substance-free housing program. The committee will meet again in coming years to discuss progress on the initiative.
Angelina Cardona ’11, OAPE assistant director and community engagement coordinator, highlighted the project’s student leadership.
“[Billman and Patiño] came to me for advise on how to move their concept forward,” Cardona said. “We will work with [them] to evaluate the effectiveness of the EANAB bar and strategize next steps.”
Billman and Patiño will submit the project budget next week as they prepare for the bar’s trial run during Admit Weekend.
“It makes me incredibly proud as a member of our community to know that students are not only thinking of ways to better the health and wellness of peers and promote inclusion, but that they are also willing to put the time and energy into making it a reality,” Cardona said.