A Lack of 18-plus Clubs in Chicago Stunt College Social Life

It doesn’t take college freshmen in Chicago long to realize options for going out are limited. 18-plus clubs in Chicago are nonexistent. While clubs in other states will draw an X on underage customers’ hands to indicate they can’t be served alcohol, Chicago clubs won’t even let them past the bouncer.

While the argument that these spaces encourage underage drinking permeates our culture, some students just want a place to go on the weekends to socialize. 

“I don’t even want to go to the club to drink,” first-year Stella Ruis said. “ I want to go to have a good time with my friend and just dance.” 

A pillar of college socialization are Greek life parties, but with Loyola having no Greek life housing, there is yet another barrier for students to party.

While some underage students may combat this by trying to host their own parties, noise complaints and lack of adequate space often prevent students from socializing with their peers during their freetime. The lack of lively social spaces for under-21-year-olds and over-18-year-olds can lead to worse problems. 

With the absence of safe, indoor environments, students may find themselves at sketchy, unregulated events where they are more likely to experience harm, come into contact with unsafe substances and have fewer available resources for help.

These restrictions give students even more of a reason to go to greater lengths to get into bars and clubs, such as getting fake I.D.s — a felony crime in Illinois. Even just possessing a fake I.D. can cause students to be put into the criminal justice system, serve up to three years in prison and face serious consequences from Loyola. 

Undergraduate students are promised socialization in college and in a bustling city like Chicago it can be especially frustrating to be excluded from the nightlife. 

Not only are dance-focused clubs limited to those 21 and older, but jazz and comedy clubs often have similar restrictions. The popular Green Mill jazz club is restricted to 21-plus due to their business being labeled a tavern. Chicago laws distinguish liquor licenses based on how much food versus alcohol is sold. 

A tavern license is for any venue that sells alcohol to be consumed on premise as a “primary source of business.” Thus, because it’s popular to order drinks at jazz and comedy clubs, young adults are barred from enjoying the show.

While these laws aren’t easily changed, they should make everyone think about why these laws exist and how they negatively impact college students and their social life. 

If 18-plus dance clubs were to exist around Chicago college campuses, not only would businesses have a reliable and loyal customer base, but students would be able to socialize on the weekends in a safe environment whilst also building a better community.