A student government lobbying committee plans to send out a letter to city leaders outlining suggestions for additional 18 and older entertainment venues in the Madison area.
At a meeting Monday, the Associated Students of Madison’s Legislative Affairs Committee heard testimony on an 18+ Entertainment Campaign letter and brainstormed other potential campaigns for their upcoming session.
Rachel Lepak, the student representative on the Alcohol License Review Committee, said she plans to send out a letter to the City Council, Mayor Paul Soglin and the Downtown Madison Incorporation, suggesting an increase in the number of entertainment venues in the Madison area as a way to promote 18-plus venues.
“The main purpose of this letter is to promote business in Madison and downtown entertainment,” Lepak said. “Bars don’t always have the capacity, so in order to promote the 18-plus entertainment, we need to promote entertainment in general.”
Ideas for such promotion include a movie theater, karaoke bar and coffee shops that stay open until 11 p.m. or midnight.
Lepak also suggested an increase in the live music scene around Madison.
“My vision is to make State Street not only where the kids go at night, but to have it be the downtown entertainment center of Madison.” Lepak said.
She added she hopes to send her letter out by Thursday or Friday, and envisions a future that continues to focus on this campaign.
Lepak said she will continue to execute the necessary steps to move her plans along, such as working with the downtown alders, who see this issue as a prominent one as well.
“I’d like to see everyone working together and putting these ideas not just on paper, but in action,” she said.
Legislative Affairs Committee Chair Daniel Statter said he agrees with the plan to move forward with the 18+ Entertainment Campaign.
According to Statter, the campaign would get more students get involved with the community as well as improve campus safety.
“When the only establishments open past 9:30 p.m. are bars, we’re providing students limited opportunities to engage in the community,” Statter said.
Statter also said the students of Madison hold a majority of power when it comes to the entertainment options available to them.
The point of creating additional 18-plus entertainment venues is not to minimize the establishments that already exist, but rather to think outside the bars and clubs that Madison has built a reputation around, Statter said.
“We’re providing community members to come to a really great city, so for us it’s about representing the idea that there’s more to State Street and the campus than drinking,” he said.
In addition to the 18+ Entertainment Campaign, the committee also outlined what they hoped to see in improvements throughout the course of the summer and next fall.
Potential campaign ideas include a sustainability committee that works at a city and state level and solidifying a connection between legislators and students.
One problem facing students today is that they do not feel as though they have any importance in the eyes of legislators, and the committee hopes to have legislators come and speak to students to make them more accessible to the student body, Statter said.
