Blues Pub, McGill’s renowned engineering bar in the basement of the McConnell engineering building, has announced it will be limiting entry to only those in the faculty of engineering.
Starting this Friday, February 14th, students must now present a faculty of engineering McGill ID to enter the pub. Included in the policy, engineering students are allowed up to two guests, or “frengineers,” over the age of 18 with a valid photo ID. The announcement sparked outrage over Instagram, the post garnering over 75 comments within its first hour of publication. Many McGill students are distressed by the decision to exclude non-engineers from entry, some questioning if it will negatively affect the Bar’s profits. A student even commented on the post “Blues policy really had to break my heart just before Valentine’s Day.”
David Bodner, a U0 student in the faculty of Engineering, shared his thoughts on the decision with the Bull & Bear.“ It was nice that anyone could go; you can hang out with your friends there and they don’t have to be engineers. I’m not sure gatekeeping will help the vibe.” When asked if he had thoughts on why Blue’s changed their policy, he expressed that it may make the typically busy bar a better environment for chatting and hanging out. “I think that I can understand them wanting to make it less crowded.”
Students aren’t the only ones responding to Blue’s policy change. Within hours of the announcement, Bar des Arts released a video statement of their own on Instagram, calling the policy “ill-conceived, egregious, and divisive.” The student bar announced they would “discourage the attendance of those who wish to see our community divided,” welcoming “those who condemn their projectionist policies to join us for a beer.”
Despite Bar des Art’s reassurance that there will be a place for those unable to enter Blues, the pub’s new policy will be felt throughout the community. The cash-only bar is known for its variety of creative events such as Hinge and Smurfette Blues, held Friday nights between 4 and 9 PM. Though the policy change may limit their notoriously long lines, the McGill student body will have to wait until Friday to see how the decision will affect Blues.
