Billy Roy, a senior English and French student, thought the atmosphere of the Bear’s Den used to be energetic. “It was a place where a lot of … older students could congregate. It was the way a pub should be,” Roy said, adding that upperclassmen should have an appealing environment in which to relax and maintain camaraderie.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” Roy continues. “It is contradictory to the way a pub should be, taking things away from students makes it less appealing to them. People used to view it as an escape from the daily grind, a place to relax.”

The Bear’s Den should be a social outlet for students. I was there last week, when only international students flocked to the bar as their awareness of the town is limited. What does this say about our school and community as they come to an empty pub, empty of our own potential for culture and sociability at this university?

When I was studying abroad in Lancaster, England, I found pubs to be a great social outlet, but also an academic one. I was immersed in a world of pubs that gave students the opportunity to come together as a community. Shouldn’t the pub encourage drinks to be exchanged with professors and students alike in an academically inspiring environment?

Also there is the issue with accepting only Maine ID’s. “Why shouldn’t it be [open] to out-of-state students, when they pay more money to be here? This is simply outrageous,” said Andrew Prindle, a senior from Connecticut.

“The Bear’s Den used to have concerts as well, like the Old Silver Band, and happy hours,” said John Kastelein, a graduate student here.

If the Bear’s Den can’t make money it should advertise. Open up after or before football games and other school functions to bring fans and students together to rally for their teams and get more involved in school spirit. Sponsor more student-run meetings in the Bear’s Den. There is potential to compromise on liability issues in determining ways to respectfully promote and save the Bear’s Den. Having a happy hour or some kind of deal during the week will also shape its appeal.

A.D. Ehrenfried, president of the Class of 1944, is quoted on a plaque in the Bear’s Den: “In the 1700s coffeehouses and cafes were centers of thought and discussion and of open debate by participants, unrestricted in age and class and allowed to break free of oppressive political bias and religious dogma. Moderate and radical writings were collected and made available for study and these public houses or ‘pubs’ as they were known were given the distinguished name ‘Penny Universities.’ Many subjects were explored, free and open speech allowed and enlightened public opinion formed. Some say that these meeting places ostensibly created to offer sociability and food and beverage did in reality play an important role in the birth of democracy.”

The students of UMaine want their pub back. It has the potential to be a welcoming and inviting place geared toward the benefits of the students, where sociability and communication among all members of the UMaine community can flourish. The Bear’s Den is marked by tradition and it would be sad to see that legacy fade.