Bar manager at Arts: "We're just trying to create a study environment"

Arabar opened last year after Arab and Islamic Studies was relocated to Jens Christian Skous Vej 7. The bar quickly became known for its fragrant toast, says bar manager and student Jens Hansen. He smiles a little despondently. With the prospect of hygiene and food inspection the toast machine has now been removed from its place behind the chipboard bar in room 116, building 1467. But worse than that – Arabar may no longer sell beer. At least not before they have acquired an alcohol license.

Previously licences were not a problem, but in the spring the police demanded that every single bar at AU must have all their papers straight if they intended to sell beer and snacks to fellow students. Which meant Jens Hansen and the bar managers from the Rigid Buddha (Asian Studies) and Penta Rei (Philosophy and History of Ideas) have been working overtime during the summer holidays in an attempt to interpret the Danish Restaurant Act.

"You’ve no idea how many hours we’ve spent on this. We suddenly had to register as an association with articles of association and a company registration number and account for our equity and assets. When all we have is deposits on a few crates of beer and an old fridge", he says. 

According to the police requirements for alcohol licenses, the bar must have a trade license and the licence holder must be at least 25 years old and a member of the bar’s board. Omnibus has been in contact with several of the smaller bars at AU for whom this has been a challenge.

Arabar, The Rigid Buddha and Penta Rei now share one trade license by having the one holder of the licence sit on all three boards. But they are still waiting for an answer from the police on whether they can be exempted from the requirement that the holder be at least 25 years old.

Lacking management support

The alcohol laws are one thing and Jens completely understands that they must be complied with. Quiet another matter is the cooperation with the management at Arts. That is an area where Jens Hansen and his colleagues would really like to see a more accommodating attitude towards the voluntary associations. Also on the part of those who have to administer the rules.

"It’s as if everyone is on our case now. It’s impossible to know who to contact. The police say one thing while the Rector’s Office says something else," he says with a sigh. 

An actual example of the opposition the social associations feel they face is the requirement made by Arts management that they must pay for the so-called security guards who patrol the campus after 20:00. The bars have to pay for the security patrol according to how long they stay open and the number of students. That can end up being a big problem for some bars, says Jens Hansen, but it is just as much the signal it sends that annoys him.

"We don’t run these bars for our own sake. We run them so that people can have some good social experiences. When we generate a profit we donate the money to academic events for our degree programme. You would at least expect Arts to help out with these security guards. In return they would have a wide range of degree programmes with something that actually resembled a study environment."

According to Ole Jensen, administration centre manager at Art, the faculty management team has already given a helping hand by paying for the security guards from 16:00 to 20:00.

"We believe we have found a reasonable level which the Friday bars ought to be able to finance. Sometimes things are presented to make it look like we’re trying to obstruct the bars. But we’re in no way interested in doing that," he says, and draws attention to the fact that the university also makes premises available.

Facts:

Academic well-being is at stake

For the smaller degree programmes, the Friday bars are important for academic well-being, says PhD at the Centre for Teaching and Learning Anna Bager-Elsborg. She has been involved in the last three surveys of the study environment at AU, most recently as project coordinator.

"The local social events are crucial for academic well-being which is partly defined as the sense of belonging to your programme. The Friday bars that take place at the programmes reinforce the community that you have in your teaching," she says.