In the past month, the Conway Police Department has done a series of compliance checks for restaurants around Conway. These checks have tested compliance with underage drinking laws. Several restaurants, including Bear’s Den and other favorites of UCA students, failed the tests.
Conway restaurants need to comply with these laws so UCA students of legal drinking age have places to relieve the stress of finals week.
Restaurants such as the Bear’s Den serve a very important function for stressed out students. These restaurants allow students 21 years of age and older to get together and relieve stress. This is why restaurants must check IDs thoroughly. If liquor licenses start to get taken away from restaurants, students would also be forced to drive further away from campus to find places to drink, increasing problems with drunken driving.
While some people may see less alcohol in a college town as a good thing, students at UCA need places to drink.
Most people don’t want students to develop drinking problems at college, but the stresses of college life can lead many people to want to drink alcohol to relieve stress.
Until that day comes, however, restaurants need to card minors to make sure UCA students who can legally drink have places around Conway to go and have fun.
Many people object to having a restaurant that serves alcohol like Bear’s Den so close to campus, but a place within walking distance of UCA cuts down on students driving somewhere to drink. If the Bear’s Den lost its liquor license, many students would have to drive further away to find a place to drink.
A “not in my back yard” mentality with restaurants serving alcohol could lead to more trouble. College students will not stop drinking alcohol if restaurants have their liquor licenses taken away. They will just go further away to go to bars or liquor stores in other counties.
Many students at UCA who are of the legal drinking age will find a place to drink even if they have to travel a pretty long way to do it. If restaurants keep failing compliance checks and lose their liquor licenses, students will have to travel further to go to bars or restaurants that serve alcohol. This may lead to more instances of dangerous habits such as drunken driving among more UCA students.
Many students can find other ways to blow off steam, but many students also enjoy relaxing with a drink at a restaurant. As long as it does not hurt anyone else, there is no problem with this.
Most students can drink reasonably and responsibly without hurting themselves or anyone else. Although some students can’t seem to drink responsibly, they should not be seen as the standard for other students who want to enjoy themselves without hurting others.
Conway Yellow Cab offers free rides to bars in Conway weekend nights, which can help many students stay safe and responsible without having to worry about how they will get home. This is a great option for responsible students who want to get out and have fun without causing problems for themselves or others.
Drinking can be a problem on and around campus, but if students act responsibly and proper precautions are taken against underage drinking, it can be a fun and safe experience for everyone.