Written by Molly Triscott
Illustrated by Sylvain Chan
As the Autumn term draws to a close, students scramble to check-out the last library books and lecturers linger over PowerPoint’s exit button. Universities across the country are wrapping up in anticipation for the Christmas break: Less humdrum ‘home-to-work’ routines and more time to spend with friends at ‘Third Places’, using Sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s term. In his 1989 book, The Great Good Place, Oldenburg stresses the social values brought forth into the community by our chosen “hangouts”.
Let it be known, however, that Third Places are nothing new. Patrons of Qichaguan Teahouses during the Song Dynasty often escaped the woes of work to play chess and sip from porcelain bowls. Centuries yonder above Saxon soil, taverns, alehouses, and inns began serving nights of merriment to fatigued Romans.
Such lark, it seems, trickled onward into the 21st century and fermented into a millennium of foam parties, bar crawls, pub quizzes, and, much to the delight of ABBA fans, karaoke. Seen as a space away from halls and reading lists, many students queued for a glass. Quickly, Third Places of similar elks began opening shop near universities putting drinking on the agenda. Take our own campus for example, LSE students would be hard-pressed to miss the trio of pubs sandwiched between the lecture halls.
Not your cup of tea?
It’s not everyone’s, as I came to find out. Vanessa, a Bar Assistant at LSESU-governed bar The Three Tuns recalls, “There are definitely people who will have one pint, then another and so on, but I’m noticing a lot of people will come up and order a soft drink or ask me what non-alcoholic drinks are available.”
In 2023, YouGov reported that 44% of 18–24-year-olds surveyed regularly drank non-alcoholic drinks at the pub – a 15% increase from 2022. Findings from the Student, Drug and Alcohol Survey 2023/34 also discovered that “27% of students didn’t drink anymore” and 83% didn’t feel the need to drink when socialising. Perhaps alcohol is taking a gap year?
Alas, Vanessa adds, “Although we’re seeing a rise in sober and sober-curious lifestyles, we live in a society that is still pretty alcohol-centric, and this plays out in people’s everyday attitudes towards not drinking.”
Wondering if Vanessa’s observations echoed through the multistorey halls of residence, I asked two first-year LSE students. “I definitely didn’t expect it [alcohol] to be as pervasive as it was and the pub is the daily space for socialisation,”, explains one student whilst conceding, “I don’t think people go to pubs loads for the alcohol so much as the social and friendship aspects. When I haven’t wanted to drink, I haven’t felt judged about it or pressured.”
So why are Student Union bars popular Third Places? One student I spoke with cited accessibility, and before committing to plans, they regularly consider: “Are drinks expensive, does it cost money to get there?”. When Three Tuns is on the other side of a two-hour seminar in December, the allure is palpable. Additional draws such as pub quizzes and karaoke, “give people something else to do apart from just standing around drinking”, says Vanessa. While celebrating Tuns as “a thriving hub of student life where people can get drinks that are a lot cheaper”, she suggests promoting “non-alcoholic drink options, whether in the bar or something like the SU’s newsletter” as well as advocating for “more spaces where students can gather, whether that’s a lounge or café-style spot that stays open late.”.
“Every single event has been surrounded by drinking”
For abstinent and infrequent drinkers, university events can feel akin to missing the punchline whilst everyone else keels with laughter. Aleena is Muslim and studying Politics at LSE. She doesn’t drink alcohol and speaks of the barriers between exploring her interests whilst feeling comfortable in Third Places. “I’m a member of the Labour Party and I really want to get involved, but I’m not even kidding, every single Labour Party event [at LSE] has been surrounded by drinking,” she says.
“I’m friends with the coordinator. I was like, come on do something that’s not in a pub because I really want to come, I really want to network with these people,” Aleena adds. The typical response received follows the trope, “It’s the easiest place to meet, there’s nowhere else in the uni.”. Are Blair’s Cocaine Socialists having a second wind? For Aleena, Third Places are usually “faith-driven or those that don’t have a culture around drinking.”.
Muhammad Zainuddin’s 2022 student-led project Exploring Muslim Students’ Experiences of Inclusion at the LSE cites respondents of faith groups feeling disincentivised from attending society or department events where alcohol was omnipresent. They were quoted saying, “Our beliefs, our principles, are kind of seen as ‘the other’, and everything else is kind of seen as ‘the default’,”“ and illustrates this point when recalling the lack of unawareness among peers during Ramadan.
Speaking to Flora, the Communications Lead for the Faith Centre at LSE was indicative of the conversation that ensued. “Not everyone knows how to approach the conversation [of faith]”, leading to “someone’s faith being seen as separate from their identity. I think in the West and Britain in particular,”, adds Flora, “religion and what you believe in is so engrained to stay within the realm of the private.”.
Drinkers and non-drinkers: Can ever the twain meet?
Well, of course. With students from 150 countries and over 250 societies to join, LSE stands as one of the most diverse universities in the world – a testament to its inclusivity. Perhaps, as Vanessa mentioned and reinforced by our earlier first-year student, LSE might just “need more social spaces which facilitate random interactions with other students”. Amplifying alternative Third Places could quieten the pub crawlers.
Liza, a third-year Social Anthropology student, shared her tried-and-tested tips for navigating social circles without compromising her authenticity. “The key here is to find your people and cultivate wholesome friendships which centre on human connection.”
Like other members in her community, Liza rarely drinks and adds, “I have quite a gastronomical soul, so I enjoy meeting my friends over lunch or tea… When choosing how to spend my time with friends, I naturally keep their interests in mind.”
Considering the 3,535 pubs open in London, the merry crowds of Friday night endeavour to clink across the city and perhaps they should prevail – as should alternative Third Places. “After all,” Liza concludes, “it’s not the drink in your hand that matters, but the people you surround yourself with.”
