Shorty's opens successfully

OLD GOLD AND BLACK REPORTER

LeeAnn Hodges

Sophomore Matt O'Neill, senior Bill Bishop, and junior Tim Stute sit and talk over beer.

Mrs. "Shorty" Joyner cut the grand opening ribbon on the door of Shorty's Sunday, officially opening the new student hangout.

The sports bar, which will be open until 1 a.m. every night, serves beer, soft drinks and Starbucks coffee, as well as desserts and some snack foods. There is university memorabilia on all the walls, two pool tables and five large televisions. The tables are designed with old campus pictures on them, each one representing a different decade or time period in the school's history.

Senior Tina Schippers, the Student Government president, said she was thrilled with the new hangout's atmosphere. She said that she was impressed by the diverse group of students, alumni and professors she has seen at Shorty's since it opened.

"It has far exceeded our expectations," Schippers said. "What amazed me were the dynamics in the room on Sunday. The crowd just mixed so well. It's going to be a huge success."

Many students, faculty and alumni who were instrumental in the planning and execution of the Shorty's project attended the grand opening celebration.

Bob Mills, an assistant vice president of university relations, said the new Shorty's was an embodiment of the spirit of the town of Wake Forest. Mills was an indispensable help in this project.

"He knew the vision, understood what we wanted and just helped us every step along the way," Schippers said.

Steve Bumgarner, `95, the SG president during 1994-95, led the first major initiative for this project and saw the proposal for Shorty's finally approved. He said the idea for a sports bar had really begun in 1988.

"Today we see the benefits of basically 10 years of student leaders' hard work," Bumgarner said.

Ken Zick, the vice-president for student life and instructional resources, was the chairman of the Shorty's planning committee.

He said that when the university campus moved to Winston-Salem, it had to leave behind the first Shorty's, a restaurant in Wake Forest which was many students' favorite hangout. The idea of such a hangout, however, has endured over time.

"I think the idea has endured because of the friendship and family which is part of the Wake Forest tradition," Zick said. "It is a remembrance of friendships past and friendships future."

Schippers said the serving of alcohol at Shorty's has not been a very major issue.

"Shorty's is a hangout," Schippers said. "Most hangouts for college students have alcohol. Shorty's will be a place where socially responsible drinking occurs."

Schippers said a more important issue was finding the funding necessary for the project. Many alumni contributed funds or equipment. One major contributor was alumnus Jay Kegerreis, who donated most of the bar equipment.

"Shorty's would not be what it is today without his generous contribution," Schippers said.

Many students are impressed by Shorty's and enjoy the new hangout.

"I like it," said sophomore Christine Calareso. "It has a very good mood and atmosphere. I give it two thumbs up."

"I'm from Seattle and it's great to finally have a place to get the coffee that I love so much," sophomore Temple Northup said.

Russell Brantley, '45, a consultant to President Hearn, remembers the first Shorty's near the old campus. According to Brantley, it was a place where students gathered late into the night to socialize, share stories and debate the many questions of life, as college students often do. Brantley hopes that this new incarnation of Shorty's can serve the same purpose for current students.

Brantley wrote the dedication, which is displayed near the door of the new bar.

"Generations of alumni from those years have tended to see Shorty's through rose-colored glasses," the dedication says. "This Shorty's ... is the realization, finally, of a remarkably resolute group of students of the 90's who believed in the importance of memories and dreams."

I WANT TO ADD SOME STUDENT QUOTES. MEREDITH IS GETTING THEM AND WILL BRING THEM TO US BETWEEN 9 AND 10 P.M. TONIGHT. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.