Thursday afternoons at McGill feel akin to the nostalgic anticipation of a Friday following a final dismissal and a hard spelling test. They provide a warm and promising beginning to the weekend. While the McGill community seems to love participating in the weekly ritual of drinking in the Leacock basement, what truly grants BdA the success it indulges its members and patrons in at the end of its three hours on Thursday?
According to a BdA volunteer, BdA is headed by two co-chairs Nick Spiteri and Elyse Herman. However, in a statement shared with The Bull & Bear, the ‘heads’ of the organisation consider themselves more of a leadership team which extends to include: two logistics managers, two bar managers, one personnel manager, one publicity manager, and the VP Social of the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS). The leadership team, despite the copious amount of other members of staff, conduct the BdA behind the scenes operation. For example, music and themes fall under the responsibility of the publicity manager, while the schedule and hiring process of volunteer staff falls to the responsibility of the personnel manager. Therefore, internal responsibilities are distributed across this relatively small group of students.
With regards to the management of alcohol, the two bar managers are responsible for tracking and ordering the weekly supply of varied drinks, in addition to the correct quantities needed. There have been instances since the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year where the order has been insufficient to meet the demand or it was not completed, so the team has to decide how to best manage the situation and allocate resources effectively going forward. According to a statement provided to The Bull & Bear, suppliers are organised by the AUS who enter into an ‘exclusivity agreement’ at the beginning of the school year. The ‘economies of scale discount’ lets BdA supply the large quantities of alcohol for the cheap prices, which helps guarantee the AUS reliable customers.
Readers at this point in the article may be wondering – could an issue with supply and acquisition have been the thorn that took down the ritualistic basement-meeting two weeks in a row? The answer to this is no. The B-delay happened to be the repercussion of a legal battle that permeated the entire AUS empire. The issue concerned part of the behind-the-scenes structure and involved the insurance renewal process. Have you ever looked around and considered the absurdity of being allowed to drink feet from on-going lectures in the Leacock basement? Well, according to an AUS source, without updated insurance certificates McGill would absolutely not allow this particular use of their on-campus spaces. Therefore with an ‘excessive delay’ in legal terms, all operations throughout the AUS were halted by an issue involving the AUS’s legal team and their insurance brokers.
Therefore, it should also come as no surprise that the finances managing this supply of alcohol are additionally run by the AUS who bear most of the responsibility for cash readers, cash boxes, and change. The AUS finance team handles the management of the money each week so that this responsibility does not also befall the BdA staff who, at the end of a long, rowdy night, are probably feeling less than capable. This shift in responsibility notwithstanding, AUS VP Social, Sarah Jiang, and the BdA staffers will deal with the financial ‘front end’: invoicing, payment collection, and payment tracking. However, accounting is left to AUS VP Finance, Julia Widing, and AUS President, Matthew O’Boyle.
If the familiar faces of the BdA staff were seen as the ‘personality hire’ of the McGill undergraduate clubs and societies, there is actually far more to the operation than is readily apparent. The collaboration and organisation between the BdA leadership team and the AUS help provide the gift that continues to bring White claw and Sapporo to our community at a discounted price. So when the club befalls scrutiny due to cancellations or long lines, it’s important to consider the web of management that guarantees its enduring presence on our campus!
