Earlier this week Ohio State made the decision to cancel face-to-face classes until March 30. Who better to support the students at their lowest hour than good ol’ campus bars?
Late last night, Leo’s On The Alley and Oldfield’s both posted a letter on social media regarding changes to their usual atmosphere to prioritize student and staff safety.
1870 reached out to students’ favorite watering holes about their decision to build more of a study hall-like community with students.
“We’re always here to help students with whatever we can,” Oldfield’s and Leo’s owner, Dan Starek, responded on Twitter DM. “We don’t want them here more than five to six years. We need them to graduate, get professional jobs, and bring all that money back on game days. If you need WiFi, booze, or both, we got you.”
Oldfield’s will be open starting at noon all next week, while Leos’ hours are still TBD. These bars aren’t the only ones fighting for the students.
“Obviously we’ve never dealt with anything like this on campus before,” Thr3s’s responded via Twitter DM. “We just thought if we gave the students another option for a place to do their work, it’ll be good for them. Being stuck in your room for two weeks would absolutely suck.”
While Ohio State Twitter feeds have been flooded with memes of extended spring breaks, the truth is that most students will return to their academic schedules as expected.
Sarah, a member of the Ohio State swimming team studying neuroscience, told 1870 she’s waiting to hear from her coach before making a decision to leave campus.
“Swimming will not stop for any disease,” she laughed. “Swimming stops for no one.”
Expecting that students will be looking for study spots outside of their stuffy homes, Thr3e’s is offering up more than Tidal Waves to serve to studious Buckeyes.
“We’re not really expecting people to be wasted during the day, so you’ll probably see coffee, tea, maybe some Buckeye Donuts in house for them to enjoy.”
1870 reached out to other bars and will be updating this story as responses come in.