After establishing itself as a prime dining and hangout space for South 40 residents in the 1990s and early 2000s, Ursa’s Nite Life (formerly Ursa’s Cafe) has been forced to downsize in recent years. Following the 2008 expansion of Bear’s Den, the cafe began to face mounting deficits as students flocked to the larger dining hall for their early and late-night dining needs.

An August 2013 menu revamp—shifting from quesadillas and milkshakes to gyros and bubble tea—failed to stanch the tide, forcing the cafe to cease food service three months later. But while it appeared Ursa’s was on the ropes, students have stepped in to reclaim the space as a hub for events and alternative nightlife activities.

Student Life supports Ursa’s transition and the speed with which students have begun to reclaim the space as their own. While some worried that it would fade into irrelevance, Ursa’s has instead taken on a second life, led by a student body that once seemed ready to abandon it. Its accessibility to freshman and sophomore students and versatile space only opens the possibility for a wider variety of events.

Movie nights and concerts have been joined by Hangout Fridays, which were introduced last semester. Inspired by anonymous posts on the “Wash U Confessions” Facebook page from students who were discouraged by the number of weekend nights spent alone in their rooms, the events have brought students together outside of the fraternity and dorm party cycle. Occurring twice a month, Hangout Fridays have quickly proven to be a success, providing students with another avenue to bond with peers they may not have met otherwise.

As the nature of student-university relations takes prominence on a local and national scale, Ursa’s stands as a positive example of students taking agency in their college experience. It may sometimes feel as if we are customers in a purely transactional exchange—degree for exorbitant sums of money—but Wash. U. students continue to impress us with their ability to supplement the administration’s efforts to improve our campus experience. We hope they will continue to bring new ideas to Ursa’s.

While some may long for the days when its crepes and quesadillas provided relief from late night studies, the space’s current incarnation appears to be its most sensible and sustainable path. Persistent efforts to cater Ursa’s old menu to student preferences indicated that no amount of tweaking could make it a financially feasible dining option.

Ursa’s needed a change of direction, and students have answered the call. We’re excited to see where they take it next.