Common sense on tap

If you build it, they will drink.

Mount Royal’s campus bar has finally finished its stylish upgrade.

A facelift was obviously in order, with the old saloon looking more like a Legion than a campus pub.

However, a fresh coat of paint won’t keep university students from doing what they do best: getting ridiculously drunk for no reason.

A high-stress environment mixed with cheap, readily available drinks creates the temptation to get completely obliterated.

Student night gave many an excuse to get liquoured up on a Tuesday.

And we did. Often.

The Liberty Lounge was like a rite of passage.

It was magical.

But let’s not forget The Lib lacked many amenities, which made it a possibly dangerous place.

Food wasn’t available, excluding bagged nachos, stale popcorn and potato chips.

Inebriated students were forced to stumble across Wyckham House to use the bathrooms.

These minor seemingly minor annoyances actually created a dangerous environment.

Recent events show how easily and quickly drinking can turn tragic.

Only days before The Hub opened its doors, Acadia University mourned the loss of freshman student Jonathan Andrews.

Andrews, a 19-year-old originally from Calgary, died from alcohol poisoning following an on-campus drinking binge during frosh week.

Emergency crews found his unconscious body in a university residence.

Andrews’ obituary described the Western Canada High School grad as an athlete on the honour roll.

He had a bright future ahead of him — dashed.

At Acadia and Mount Royal, life moved on.

The new Hub opened without a glitch andshould be a considerably safer than its predecessor. With washrooms in close proximity and a kitchen on the way, the potential for disaster should be greatly reduced.

Drink up MRU, you’re in safer hands now.