Five and a half weeks after Hotung re-opened, it is still unclear whether or not it has been successful as an on-campus social spot.
Although Director of Dining Services Patti Klos declined to provide the Daily with quantitative data on Hotung's alcohol sales, she said that the caf?© has been doing well.
"Hotung has become a destination point for many students. It is a welcoming environment for students to come relax," she said.
Still, a two-drink-per-night limit for beer and wine, which was not announced until Hotung opened last month, has dampened the purchasing enthusiasm of many students who have been able to purchase alcohol this year or will be next year.
Senior Glen Gullickson said that the limit is "absolutely absurd."
Junior Steve Dyer said that a two-drink limit is low and proposed changing it to four to make Hotung a more successful hangout space. "It's not a destination for people with only two drinks," he said. "I don't think it creates what the university is really going for."
"I tend to think it's a joke," junior Uma Shanmugham said. "I realize that Tufts has a responsibility to make sure kids don't go too crazy, but the same time, what's the point?"
Immediately after the limit was initially announced and poorly received, Klos told the Daily that the policy would be reevaluated after the end of the semester.
More recently, she said that she still plans to meet with Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman and representatives from the Tufts Community Union (TCU) to discuss the policy.
They'll have to grapple with how much it is appropriate for a student to drink in one hour, she said.
"Most students who visit are only there for an hour. Moderate is one drink per hour. More than that is, in the eyes of some, binge drinking," she said.
According to Reitman, another consideration is that alcohol was never meant to become the central focus of the recent Hotung renovations.
"Some people didn't think there should be alcohol at all, so this is the compromise," he said. "[Hotung] is not a replacement for the bars."
-by Ashley Pandya with reporting from Kat Schmidt.
