Concordia Clinks

An In-Depth Look at Concordia’s Notorious Drinking Culture

SportsDavid Murphy — Published November 29, 2011

Temperatures dropped sharply in the past two weeks, but the steps leading up to Loyola’s The Hive were packed Nov. 16, the students divided into those shivering impatiently to get inside and those out enjoying a smoke.

That night, a few hundred Concordia students migrated to The Hive to partake in an event that’s gaining some infamy on the university’s drinking scene—cultural night.

A cultural night aficionado identifying herself as Capta Smithson, 19, was passing around a cigarette with a group of friends.

“Cultural nights are a place you want to go because every time I go, I meet up with people that I know,” said an admittedly intoxicated Smithson.

Smithson, who lives in Hingston Hall, a Concordia residence notorious for its culture of partying, feels it’s a reunion of sorts whenever there’s a cultural night, co-hosted by one of the school’s myriad cultural groups and the Concordia Student Union.

“Whoever lives in Jesuit or Hingston are definitely, without a doubt, here, and ready to get their face soaked in alcohol, because they want to be hammered,” said Smithson.

“When I lived in Hingston I always wanted to be soaked in alcohol. I want to be so drunk that people know who I am.”

And people now know that Concordia knows how to party. The campus bar, Reggie’s, has a bit of a reputation thanks in part to its Thirsty Thursdays, and the stories of open bars at events around campus mean that, in the popular imagination, Concordia seems to be the place to get your drink on.

This particular cultural night, which set back budding Latin American culture enthusiasts $8.00, was one of those open bar events, and it was suitably full.

In theory, it was a Latin American culture appreciation night. Inside The Hive small flags from various nations were displayed on a far side of the wall of the dance floor.

Flowers, necklaces and sombreros were given out, while a band played salsa and meringue music—until the predictable throbbing of club music took over, attracted the masses into a sweaty, smiling, but definitely not sober crowd.

“More than alcohol, dancing brings a lot of people together,” said Juliana Ramos, president of the Latin American Student Organization of Concordia, who were putting on the event.

But Smithson disagreed. She said if it wasn’t for the drinks, she wouldn’t go, and she’s not the only one who feels that way. These alcohol-oriented events are an example of the drinking culture at Concordia, and while it may leave the students with painful hangovers the next day, the culture itself is alive and well.

Concordia Student Union VP Finance Jordan Lindsay agrees Concordia is renowned for its partying. He meets with different student unions in Montreal, and says he hears of Concordia’s reputation.

“I’m a pretty big partier myself, and I’ve heard word on the street that Concordia seems to be a pretty big party school,” said Lindsay. He argues it isn’t necessarily a bad thing if students are attracted to the school because of that.

“Does that demean our integrity a little? I don’t think so. I think there’s a mentality of work hard, play hard.”

If that’s the case, Concordia students must be working really hard.

A Bar to Call Home

Reggie’s, the heart of Concordia’s drinking community, is a cash cow for the CSU, which operates the bar through CUSACorp., its profit-making arm.

Reggie’s has the reputation as a dive bar by serving cheap beer, but it’s becoming a bit of a victim of its own success.

Rowdiness at Reggie’s has reached the point where an influx of bouncers is needed for Thirsty Thursdays, their showcase night of the week.

On Thursdays, students from other universities are allowed to join in on a Concordian tradition—getting drunk off cheap booze.

Until midnight, beers are priced at a dollar, as are shots, and until closing time, a full bottle will only run you a toonie.

Those are prices that are hard for anyone to ignore. “The outsiders are usually the ones that cause the most trouble,” said manager/bartender Tory Forsyth.

This has led to several incidents of violence throughout the years, but something that happens wherever alcohol is sold, according to Forsyth.

In 2008, a 22-year-old gang member was shot dead on the steps outside of Reggie’s.

Two years after that, a patron had his head slashed by another man wielding a beer bottle. Earlier this year, drunken patrons broke a window in the establishment.

Last Thursday, Forsyth said a few incidents occurred—someone stole an injured patron’s crutch, and another person stole a beer—although both were dealt with swiftly.

But it adds up to Reggie’s being considered a dive by many—including Lindsay and Forsyth. That label might not be such a bad thing, of course.

“I’ve heard it’s the third best dive in Montreal. Not to say that it isn’t true,” said Lindsay. “But we need to keep some integrity in the bar, or troublemakers will come back.”

This is why 10 bouncers are now required every Thursday night, an expense which is proving to be costly.

“Reggie’s has been notoriously not super-profitable over the years, and part of that is Thursdays being awesome, but Thursdays’ costs being so high,” said Lindsay. “Revenue is high on Thursdays, but the profit is
more or less the same as any other night.”

Despite quibbles over profits and the dive-status, Reggie’s—and Thursdays—are still an essential part of Concordia life.

“It’s part of it, historically,” said Lindsay. “Because of that, for us to kill off a night that has done so well in the past would be an injustice.”

Others agree.

“It’s a little dive-ish. I’ve associated the entire logo of Reggie’s with the purpose of the Thursday nights,” said George, a history student. “Reggie’s is a good place to go. Cheap alcohol is one of the best ways to go.”
CSU VP Student Life Laura Glover argued that Thursdays aren’t the only night Concordia has to offer, though.

“You can’t broadly categorize drinking culture in Concordia,” said Glover. “There are different groups of students, and they party in different ways. There is maybe a group of 1,000 students that frequent Reggie’s, and there’s 35,000 undergrads here, so that one group doesn’t represent the population.”

Glover has come under scrutiny from some who think there aren’t enough parties held around the university to supply students with a means to get their drink on.

She says this stems from the CSU wanting to pull out of cultural nights because of safety concerns about students and their level of drinking.

“We have concerns about healthy drinking habits. It’s an open bar, so students go to drink as much as they can,” said Glover. “But that’s what students want, so we have to do that.”
And although alcohol brings together a sense of unity in the university, Glover doesn’t want any harm to come from students being intoxicated.

“With unhealthy binge drinking, we just want people to minimize risk—without compromising the enjoyment.”

But to some, Concordia’s drinking culture isn’t about Thursdays or special events.

“To me, this is Reggie’s,” said Forsyth of the half-empty establishment, a ring of regulars enclosing the round bar, slowly sipping on a variety of gold- and brown-hued comforts. While some made small talk, a few found a quiet corner to pull out their notes and textbooks, and others sat back to watch the game.

“People come here and do homework quietly, or meet with friends, or talk with the regulars. It gives the bar a sense of a community centre. Reggie’s is a lot of things.”