lxxxii
2.7.08
published on 12/09/05
This Week at Vassar in 1985
Twenty years ago, the Vassar campus was up in arms about the change in New York State law that increased the drinking age from 18 to 21. At the center of the debate was the fate of Matthew’s Mug.
Administrators decided to keep the Mug open to all students, but to only serve alcohol to those of age. Bracelets were to be used to determine those over 21, not unlike the system in place now. Students feared that the Mug would stop being a center of student life. One student told The Miscellany News that when it came to the Mug, “let’s not forget that “it’s the beer that brought us here.” [12.6.85]
The night before the Mug was to use the new policy, the gathering place was completely packed. Students reported that they waited in line for three and a half hours and that once inside, it was a rush to drink as much alcohol as possible, since it was the last chance for many of them to do so. One noted that, “In fact, many a table coveted their pitcher; it was a utensil of power in the social milieu of the Mug.”
—Emma Epstein, Assistant Life Editor
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Alumnae/i posters are strongly encouraged to include their class year with their name. The maximum length for comments is approximately 100 words; longer responses should be submitted as letters to the editor to misc@vassar.edu. More information about our letters policy can be found on our Policies page.
