The newly-reopened 1908 pub and restaurant in December 2024. Jordan Reed | The Montclarion
Montclair State University has been known as a “dry campus” for a long time, making the pub a hard concept to grasp for current students. But has it always been dry?
Montclair State University recently (and surprisingly) opened the 1908 Pub, formerly known as the “Ratskeller,” located on the first floor of the Student Center. It officially opened on Sept. 12th, 2024 and students were pleasantly shocked, filling this new spot to the brim almost every night.
I, Olivia Yayla, a senior commuter at Montclair and the Fiction Editor for The Montclarion, was first caught off guard at the thought of alcohol being served in the main commuter building.
A wide-shot view of the "Rathskeller" in the 1980s. | The Montclarion Archives at Sprague Library
“How are commuters supposed to refrain from drinking and driving?” “There are already so many car accidents on campus… wouldn’t that skyrocket?” I pointed out before the grand opening.
I, Kiara Oelkers, also found this news quite alarming and spoke up in the same editorial board meeting we attend weekly. “Would this not promote underage drinking, too?” “How does this new pub plan to avoid and facilitate fake IDs?” I added, beginning to jot down all of the possible inconsistencies.
I then began outlining a whole opinion piece dedicated to making Montclair State students aware of this potentially daunting issue on campus. But Yayla debunked all of these concerns after attending one of the first tours of the pub.
I [Yayla] frequently express my love and support for the new commuter hub by spending my free time out of class playing pool and virtual golf while also writing Montclarion articles at the bar with a glass of dry red wine after 4 p.m.
1908 offers a creatively enticing menu of mocktails for Montclair State’s “not quite 21” crowd, making the pub an inclusive spot for all students. With the pub’s strict two-alcoholic drink maximum and wristband policy, alcohol on campus has slowly lost its shock factor over the past few months.
Montclair State University has been known as a “dry campus” for a long time, thus making the pub a hard concept to grasp for current students. But has it always been dry? We decided to take a trip down The Montclarion memory lane with the help of Paul Martinez, the Cataloging Librarian and Archivist at Sprague Library. Through our research, we discovered that Montclair State’s past was far from “dry.”
Happy Hour at the Rathskeller started at 5 pm in the '80s! | The Montclarion Archives at Sprague Library
Struck by a wave of uncanny and almost misplaced nostalgia, we flipped through endless images of past Montclair State students in the 1980s. With their larger-than-life hair, overly teased and hair-sprayed till flammable, their bubbly yet still boxy cars all sporting wraps of teal blue, mustard yellow, or neon red, and their fashion choices of fitted knit sweaters and the same boot cut blue jeans we have all scoured the depths of our parents’ closets for now.
It seemed as if a lot had changed since the original existence of the “Rathskeller” pub. Or maybe it was the clear difference in the relationship between society and alcohol then, and the way its stigma is slowly being erased today. Are we watching history revert before our very eyes?
Miller sponsoring Spring Break in the Montclarion (1980s). | The Montclarion Archives at Sprague Library
Budweiser sponsored the Athlete of the Week in the 1980s. | The Montclarion Archives at Sprague Library
Alcohol, nowadays, is painted as a villain in most circles with the rise of sober curiosity. Ironically, there was a time when Montclair State not only supported the consumption of alcohol, but alcohol supported Montclair State and its students.
From the ’70s into the ’90s, brands such as Budweiser would choose Montclair State University Athletes to be featured in The Montclarion ads, congratulating them on their hard work and giving students a reason to celebrate their small wins in college life. Miller Beer would sponsor collegewide Spring and Winter Break trips to the Bahamas, Fort Lauderdale, and Daytona Beach with Montclarion ads that were more than suggestive, featuring bikini and beer-clad models. Even Two Fingers Tequila promised free T-shirts to any willing Montclair State student who would indulge in their product.
A Montclarion archived ad sponsored in the 1980s. | The Montclarion Archives at Sprague Library
We then stumbled upon images of fraternities rolling kegs down the snow-frosted hills of campus during a snowstorm, which left us the most dumbfounded comparing our college life to these students in the ’80s. Alcohol was once painted as a uniting elixir, a cure-all for the highs and lows of college life. That is until an article (written by former assignment editor Paul Mampilly) surfaced downplaying a riot just outside the now 1908 pub on March 3, 1988.
Then Dean of Students, Edward Martin, insisted that there was no proof that alcohol was to blame, stating: “There was no substantive proof whether or not a contributing factor was alcohol.” But, analytically, the proof is within The Montclarion ads. The iconic alcohol brands previously mentioned slowly disappeared from the newspapers after this incident. Shortly after, the “Rat” was no more, solely selling the same pizza and mozzarella sticks we all know and occasionally love. That is, until this past September when the new and improved 1908 pub returned with the proper restrictions for eager, newly acclaimed drinkers.
The article that (unofficially) marked the end of alcohol on campus. | The Montclarion Archives at Sprague Library
But we are still left wondering – is the two-drink maximum wristband policy the key to preventing another riot, or will students find another creative way to dodge these regulations and cause another 40-year desert wave on Montclair’s campus? Hopefully, this upcoming Montclair State student body will continue to rewrite history with prosperous innovation.
A wide shot view of the 1908 Pub we have today. Jordan Reed | The Montclarion
