Rumors have been heard around campus that the Café in the Student Center was closing early and that it was impossible to get alcohol there while it was open.
Sophomore Andrew Gooss, a student who often frequents the Café, mentioned, "It just seemed like there was never anyone there to serve beer. You walk in; you sit down to relax and have a nice frothy brew; and you end up getting a latte because espresso's at least better than nothing."
To clear up the rumors, the Café has never closed before scheduled hours.
Second, there is a perfectly logical explanation for why there was rarely staff available to serve beer.
The Kent County Alcohol Board requires that any student intending to serve alcohol to other students must first pass TiPS (Training for Intervention Procedures).
Bob Hooey stated, "Before our employees took this course, there were only two certified bartenders, and I was one of them."
Tips covers certain areas like spotting fake ID's, being familiar with State-specific information, and documenting incidents that occur. It teaches young bartenders how to deal with their peers, how to handle certain scenarios, and how to prevent minors from drinking and accidents from happening.
Anna Mavrellos, a senior who bartends at the Town Hall, stated, "Basically we just learned how to be more responsible when serving alcohol to our peers. The course was informative, and I'm glad we took it."
Since February 23, nine people have been certified to serve alcohol and have been doing so ever since.
There is only one person in Kent County available to teach this course, and collating schedules was unfortunately a difficult task. The class ensued on a Saturday about three weeks ago and lasted for several hours. All has paid off however, and the beer is now flowing at the Café every night from 4:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Enjoy.
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