Of all the establishments in Downtown Binghamton, some of the most frequented by students are the bars. Every weekend, students migrate in huge numbers to State and Court Streets to spend their evenings in one of the many Binghamton bars. Whether it be Tom & Marty’s Town House, The Grove, The Rathskeller or The Red Jug Pub, the employees of these businesses are often Binghamton University students.

Pipe Dream interviewed select students working in popular bars. Whether their jobs often range from bartenders, bouncers or DJs, they’re the foundation of student nightlife, and bring joy to a downtown Binghamton that can sometimes feel underwhelming.

Nadav Weglein, a DJ at The Rathskeller and Jimmy’s and a senior majoring in economics, shared his experience as a student bar staff employee and the importance of his role.

“My role is essential for keeping patrons entertained and maintaining a high-energy atmosphere throughout the night,” Weglein wrote in an email. “I read the crowd, adjust the music in real time, and make sure people stay engaged.”

Weglein said his favorite part of working at The Rathskeller and Jimmy’s was making sure students have a good night out and meeting new people. He also noted that nightlife has dwindled over the past few years.

“You can really see the patterns of when people are out and not and it paints a pretty clear picture of depreciating numbers,” Weglein wrote.

For many, working at a bar provides a unique opportunity to regularly meet new people and engage with a huge portion of the student body. Jacob Thompson, a senior majoring in environmental studies who works as security at Red Jug Pub, discussed his experience building connections with customers and coworkers on the job.

“I have made some incredible friends from people who just chose to come up to me and talk to me,” Thompson wrote in an email. “Everyone who works at the bar you’re visiting just wants everyone to have fun.”

That being said, working in a bar isn’t easy. They face intoxicated customers every day and must balance promoting safety around drinking with keeping the fun, social drinking-driven atmosphere intact.

Gabriela Carranza, a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience and Red Jug Pub employee, touched on how serving intoxicated customers changes the nature of her job, adding a level of complexity that isn’t found in most service industry roles.

“Alcohol completely changes the dynamic of customer interactions,” Carranza wrote in an email. “Things can be unpredictable and you have to be hyper aware and vigilant at all times of people’s behavior and safety. I’ve worked customer service before, and retail, and security on campus, but at a bar, you really have to think on your feet and handle situations you wouldn’t deal with in a normal restaurant or retail job.”

Alcohol can also make customers more prone to outbursts and unpredictability, making serving more difficult. Student workers must learn to make quick decisions in high-pressure situations, managing difficult customer interactions daily.

“Emotions can run high when alcohol is involved and a normal interaction can turn into a difficult situation really quickly,” Carranza wrote. “I think that for me, enforcing limits is pretty difficult. A lot of the times when you cut someone off, they can become pretty angry and take it out on you, but it’s something that really is necessary sometimes.”

Like many other downtown bar employees, these students live somewhat of a double life, balancing school responsibilities during the day and working long hours at night. These shifts can last upward of seven hours, so making sure they stay on top of their schoolwork becomes much more difficult.

“The hardest part of my job is definitely balancing late nights with morning classes, which has significantly impacted my grades and ability to perform on campus,” Thompson wrote. “I sometimes will have to choose whether to get paid or complete an assignment.”

Despite these personal challenges, student bar workers have been on both sides of the counter, so they have a unique perspective on drinking culture on campus. Student bar workers understand the social scene that comes from drinking and understand better than anyone that alcohol can become dangerous very quickly.

“I think students have definitely mastered skating on the fine line between alcoholism and social drinking, and often they will cross that line at least once,” Thompson wrote. “I also am a firm believer that you should be able to experiment in college, as this is the most socially acceptable time in your life to make dumb mistakes and learn from them; which is much better than starting when you have a job and reputation to maintain. Do dumb stuff in college, we are not judging you (Most of the time).”