The Scarlet Gt

Black, February 24, ibis—page a

 

'Looking for a soft job?

by Dan Flynn

. When students want to enjoy a
couple beers with some friends,
they usually end up at the Pub, The
place is pretty much taken for
granted, and few understand the

.problems of being a student and
running a business at the same
time. Jim Horrell and Dave
Pursell, the Pub managers, are
two people who know what it’s like.

The Pub Club, Inc. is a nonprofit»

.business founded by students in,
1973. Each year, Pub members
elect a six-person board of
directors comprised of three,
students and three faculty
members. Daily operations are

.handled by managers hired by the
board.

EACH year's hoard seems to
come up with a different system

high." He adds that the Pub offers

its services to students at a
minimal profit margin.

WHEN a manager misses
somethingia delivery, a bill, or
anythingithere is always
someone he must answer to.
Maybe an angry customer, the
IRS, or the board of directors;
whatever the case, the manager is
accountable. _

’ If things aren’t going well in
SGA, or on the SM}, or any of the
other timesconsuming activities on
campus, students often opt for the
easy way, out: they quit. But
managers are bound to the Pub by
the one year contract they sign.
They can’t quit. ,

THEY stay and make do as
best they can. “When considering
the situation of the Pub," Horrell

Joe Bush and Professor Richard Steele lounge In the relaxed at- ‘

mosphere of the Pub. But manage

rs Dave Pursell and Jim Horrell

find the Pub far from relax g, as they must confront the day to day

problems of running a business.

for managing the Pub. This in itself
.‘ndicates the difficulties inherent
in running the Pub; in the last four
years there have been four dill
ferent management systems.
The different managing
arrangements have included one,
o or three students; in other
years the Pub has been run by non.
students.
JUNIOR Dave Pursell, Currently
financial manager, has been
orking at the Pub under each of
The four systems. An on-and—off
Grinnell student since 1972, he was
part of the managerial triumvirate
that controlled the Pub in the
spring semester of 1976. Last year,
hile on leavefrom the college, he
ran the Pub alone. This year, again
a student. he shares management
duties with senior Jim Harrell, the
personnel manager.
While many other jobs and
Qositinns on campus are time
consuming, none has the pressures
of Pub manager. The Pub, being
independent of the college,
receives no subsidy. All revenues
ome from memberships and
ales. If income does not match
expenditures, the Pub managers
are in trouble.
IN NOVEMBER AND
December, the Pub’s income did
at meet spending; the balance
heat for the two months reflect a
loss of $1,600. Still, on the year, the
Pub is ahead by $3,243, as of
December 31.
But any businessman would
.ecognize that a $1,600 operating
loss is nothing to laugh at.
“Towards the end of each
semester," Pursell explains,
“business slows down con-
siderably. But it will pick up again‘
.5 the second semester begins. We
are doing quﬂe a bit better than we
were at this ,time last year."
“ONE oi the purposes 02 the
Pub," Horrell adds, “is to serve as
ource of employment for students.
en business slows down, it is our
, policy not to cut hours. With
', business slow in, December, the
d b

begins, “keep in mind several
things We are amateurs and often
there just isn’t enough time.

“There are several ways we
could quickly improve our
financial situation. First, of.
course, we could cut hours when
‘business slows. We could also
charge a cover when we have live
entertainment. But both of, these
i are against board policies."

“ONE or the biggest problems
with the board is that they don't
have anyone close to the daily
operations of the Pub," Horre'll
concludes ’

The board sees the Pub as a
student service. Services are to be
provided at the lowest possible
cost. “We have membership
charges," asserts one board
member. “To add cover charges to
that would be unfair to members.
Also it would be going against the
general free admission policy that
so pervada Grinnell.”

Another problem, both feel, is
time. Managing a bar is a full-time
responsibility—and Grinnell does
not offer the easiest academic
program in the country. If
something goes wrong at any time,
:a manager can be called. Then

 

 

there are deliveries; someone has
to be at the Pub on afternoons when
shipments come in. ..

'Pursell points out another
problem: “We have to work
around everyone’s class schedules.
That can make operating at full
efficiency impossible.”

WORKING at the Pub is a very
interesting proposition, according
to several employees, Horrell
feels, “it’s all very strange. in-
teresting things happen all' the
time. One of the things that sticks
out in my mind, because it’s quite
irritating, is that the men have

l been urinating on the toilet paper."

Tony Montoya, another Pub
employee. explains it a little more
fully. f‘They come down here to
take out their frustrations. So they
urinate on the toilet paper, or insult
some of the employees, or try to
start a fight, Others come down
here to talk about their problems.
Last weekend there were eight to
ten couples that broke up. They
want to drink, to get drunk and
forget their problems. Working at
the Pub is always interesting "

John Richtman, a freshman Pub
bartender, enjoys working at the
Pub for another reason, “You can
sit there and laugh at people
making fools of themselves After
a few beers, people reveal their
true characters. Some people come
here just to play fooseball, others
just to get drunk, and some just to
see how many people they can fit in
the men’s john. An interesting
irony of working here is that many
of the Pub employees rarely
drink."

THOUGH working at the Pub
may be fun and interesting, next
year promises to hold more
management problems. Neither
Lhe perennial Pursell or the hard-
working Horrell is applying for the
position of manager. And the board
is not even sure what management
systemrwillvbe‘ used to run the Pub.

Pursell. who has worked under
all four systems which have been
tried and managed under three of
them, is unsure which is best. “It
depends on the people who are
working," he says. “Each system
can work smoothly, if the right
person is running it."

THE BOARD, concerned about
losses and finding management for
next year, is planning several
things. A study reviewing the ef-
fectiveness of operating procedure
is being discussed for the future.

As for management, the board
will begin its search next week.
They plan to raise the salary to
$5,000, and open themselves up to
all proposals. Any application, by
student or non—student, from one
person ‘or more, will be considered.
In the end, they hope to come up
with the best operating procedure.
Whether or not they are successful
will be clear next year.

“IT'S not an easy job. but it's a
good experience.” concludes
Harrell. ”One of the nice things
about the Pub is that it’s student
run, and i hope it can stay that

 

way.“

Pull Club, Inc.

POSITION AVAILABLE:
PUB CLUB MANAGER

The Pub Club Inc., located on the Grinnell College campus, is
seeking a manager(s) for the 15178-79 school ear. The position
Bays $5,000 per ear and the Pub is open rom August 26 to

ecember 20 and ram January 21 to May 23. Hours of o eration

are from 4:00 pm. to 2:00 am. The pooltion is open to

rinnell

students and to non-studenm. The Board of Directors will con

sider a

full-time nonsstudent manager,

a non»student

management team_ or a team of 2-_3 student managers.
Preference Will be given to applicants With beer bar, personnel
and-or busmess experience. Applicants should send a letter of
application, resume and two letters of reference, to Scottllpevyis,

Grinnell Colle e G
- employer

nnell IA so, by arch ‘18 , ' V

‘\

Tom Wicker kicked‘oii the Tlme Journalism Lecture series with a

lecture on “Who, What and How:
formance of the Am

Crucial Influences in the Per»

n Press” 1251 Monday in Herrick Chapel. He

discussed the role of the press in American society, and the amount of
power it yle ds. On Tuesday, he conducted two workshops in which he

addressed such wide-ran gin g topics

as journalism schools, which he

termed worthless, and guilty liberals. a category to which he claims

membership. The next speaker in t

he lecture series will be Howard

Simons. managing editor of the Washington Post, who will be here
l’larch 9 and 10. Simolls’s topic Wlll he ”The Media and the Law "

Joint Boards balks

on boycott

(continued from page 1)

TED VLAMIlS, Younker hall
rep» argued against Stuart’s
statement. “It is wrong to accept a
boycott which imposes a decision
on a student. It is wrong to force ‘
someone to do something against i
his will. The idea of a boycott is ‘
that it is to be a free choice."

SGA VICE-President Linda
Cornelius then moved to amend
Stuart‘s proposal to read that only
board students could vote to
affect the boycott of a food item. A l
debate followed on whether nons
board students could vote on 3}
Food Service policy. The debate
was marred by parliamentary
confusion which resulted in a ‘
motion to table the wholel
discussion until the next meeting. .
Finally Stuart was granted leave to .
withdraw his amendment.

After the debate, he said, “I
withdrew it because I was conl
fused, and there were some
changes thathadto be made. When
the motion to table was introduced,
I realized that the debate was not i
going anywhere." Asked if he was

policy

IN OTHER SGA news, Grinnell
investments in South African
corporations will be discussed
when the executive cabinet meets
with the trustees Saturday more
hing.
An amendment to the Bathroom
Draft Policy, proposed at the
previous meeting by James Hall
rep Danny Kadden, was passed.
l The amendment reduced 3 lloor's
ibathroom options from co-ed;
single sex, and dial-a-john to just
co-ed and dial-ahjohn since it was
agreed that the dial-aejohn
protected the privacy of all
students while a single sex rest
room greatly inconvenienced the
members of the excluded sex. The
proposal goes back to the CSL.

It was “ported that ii a 40 per
cent ' ..iimum return rate is used

i as a cutoff, the Grapevine can then

produce reports on 43 per cent of
all classes while if a 35 per cent
response rate is used the
Grapevine can provide reports on
on per cent of all classes. Since the
Grapevine is attempting to im

 

 

 

 

sure that the CSL proposal would
be rejected he said, ”No, that did ,
not enter into the decision,"

,the months!"
Danish-Maid Bakery
318 Fourth Ave,

.prove its credibility this year, the
'40 per cent return rate will
probably be used.

[6th Ave.

.More People
Ask For Bud Than

Any Other Beer.

is

g.

. Ask For It Yourself.
% Budweiser:

KING OF BEERSM

 

