Colonel Tuckers – still a student hub

Colonel Tuckers campus bar is a great spot for students to relax and catch a break from university stress.

Recently there have been a few changes regarding the management of the bar; it has always been owned and operated by UNB, however this year the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) was interested in purchasing and running the bar.

The SRC ran into problems while looking into the possibility of owning the bar. In order for any independent body other than the university to operate the bar, they would need a proper liquor license which is quite costly to obtain. The university holds a special facility liquor license which allows them to operate the bar currently.

If the SRC were to purchase the bar, many renovations would have to be made. To operate, there would have to be an external exit added to the bar as well as an addition of male and female washroom facilities on the inside. These renovations would make it so that the university wouldn’t be liable for patrons using the school facilities upon exiting the bar. Renovations would prove to be another major cost for the SRC.

In the end it all proved to be too much for the SRC to take on, so the university had to explore different options in order to better serve its students. Anthony Enman, vice president finance of the SRC says, “It was important to the university to keep Colonel Tuckers a student space, not just a campus bar. It’s a laid back, chilled space with music and television where students are welcome to come to the bar and relax, have a beer and unwind.”

University management was able to reach a middle ground with the bar and decided to change the hours of operation. Colonel Tuckers is now going to be open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 3 p.m.-2 a.m. This change will allow consistency with the hours. “Before the bar hours used to fluctuate and be open and closed at random times. Now with more consistent hours and only being open on the busiest days it’s more accommodating to the students, and even the faculty” says Enman, “It’s more important for it to be open at the end of the week as opposed to a Monday, when students are more likely to stop by.”

Colonel Tuckers is an important contributor to student life and it is very important for it to stay open, not only for the bar, but for the whole Student Center building, which is a hub of student life. Even with the new hours of operation, the bar remains mostly the same; it will still be open for special events in the future as well.

The bar isn’t meant to make a lot of money; it’s there to service the students of UNBSJ and hopefully will continue to be an important part of student life.