Student Union (SU) is slated to receive an increase of roughly $40,000 to the fall budget, the result of collecting the Student Activity Fee from an exceptionally large freshman class. While SU has not made any final decisions about where the funds will go, the main two targets of consideration include a bar and grill and a technology coordinator.

The proposed bar and grill would fill the now-empty Umrath basement, providing another dining option for students. The Umrath basement was previously occupied by the Subway franchise now on the first floor of Mallinckrodt. Prior to Subway’s occupancy, this space was a bar called the Umrathskeller, colloquially known as “The Rat.” The Rat operated from 1976 to 2002, and old Student Life editorials report that attendance often exceeded 800 for events in the 310-capacity space, which included theme parties, televised sporting events, and back to school nights.

The Rat was shut down in 2002 after a host of underage drinking incidents. However, SU leaders are confident that such pitfalls can be avoided if the restaurant serves food as well as alcohol, and note that the Rat would fill a void by providing a social space on campus away from Fraternity Row.

The proposed technology coordinator would help SU and other student groups with website and technology problems and would coordinate jobs contracted to vendors, among other things. The coordinator would be partially funded by the University, with an annual salary of roughly $100,000.

We strongly support the bar and grill proposal, and believe that SU should avoid putting its financial muscle behind the a technology coordinator.

Hiring a technology coordinator seems superfluous—there is a wealth of knowledge on campus about technology, and Wash. U. boasts a nationally respected computer science department. We feel that this money could be better put toward providing training or other services to concentrate technological expertise in the student body. This would serve the dual purpose of solving technological problems on campus and providing practical training that could help students in computer science and related majors after graduation.

This highlights a second key concern: If clubs and other student organizations are to rely on services provided by the technology coordinator, there is a risk that such work will be taken away from students who would be able to cover these services.

Ultimately, we believe that a bar and grill is a more sensible choice. CPC Happy Hour has provided a central venue for students to gather on campus and enjoy themselves; however, we believe that having another social space on campus for weeknights wouldn’t hurt—and another eatery would help save the Class of 2014 from the much-decried Bear’s Den lines.