A speaker torn from the men’s bathroom ceiling, a dartboard cabinet knocked off the wall and a brawl that left a staff member with a bloody nose capped college night at Two Brothers Tavern on Thursday, Sept. 24, according to the establishment’s staff log.
According to Two Brothers Tavern co-owner Holmes Jacobs, damage to the dartboard cabinet may have been accidental — “the victim of just really hectic dancing.” However, the torn-out speaker appears to be a deliberate act of mischief. Jacobs was not present at the establishment on the night of the incident but later learned of it through their electronic staff log and conversations with various employees.
Two Brothers Tavern is now looking to replace the missing speaker, regardless of whether it gets returned. The removal left behind exposed loose wiring and jagged edges, warranting a full set replacement by a sound technician. In an interview with the Campus, Jacobs projects that it would cost about $500 with installation.
Additionally, at approximately 11:50 p.m., ten minutes after the bar stopped serving alcohol, two students began grappling in the back hallway near the bathrooms in Notte, according to the logs. Notte, a sister establishment of Two Brothers Tavern, is used as a downstairs space during College Night.
“The impression I’ve been given is that it was friendly horseplay that turned not so friendly,” Jacobs said.
A door staff member who tried to break up the fight took an elbow to the nose, leaving him bloodied.
The next morning on Friday, Sept. 25, a post went up on the Two Brothers Tavern Facebook page, prefacing that “99% of our College Night patrons are exceptional ladies and gentlemen who behave responsibly,” before detailing the damages and calling for an apology from those responsible.
“On our end, we’ll be reviewing whether or not it is in our best interest to keep College Night going because of actions like these,” the post ended.
The post has exceeded 100 comments, mostly from community members, expressing their sympathy about the situation and frustration with students involved, with many urging the establishment to notify college administrators.
Screenshots of the post were distributed on YikYak, a location-based anonymous social media app popular among college students, where one post condemning the behavior drew more than 600 upvotes.
“I think there’s an opportunity here to [have] a two-headed conversation,” Jacobs said, “Having consumption of alcohol combined with disrespect for the town.”
“In my experience, overconsuming or drinking too much has never been a very valid excuse for poor or destructive behavior,” Jacobs continued. “Over the last 24 years, I have heard students many times say, ‘I’ve drank too much’ and that’s supposed to be the blank check and they’re fine… and that’s not the case.”
This comes at the end of September, designated as National Recovery Month, during which the college hosted a series of relevant events including a Zero Proof Bar at Wilson Café the same night of the incident.
“I think that is one way to improve the situation, a mandatory [Vermont Department of Liquor Control] course for all incoming freshmen,” Jacobs suggested.
All incoming students are required to complete AlcoholEdu, a virtual prevention course from Vector Solutions and Building Your Well-Being, a series of virtual lessons designed by the college’s Center for Health and Wellness, according to health educator Anna Hand.
On the lessons’ section on substance use, “we normalize that many students choose to not use substances during their time at college,” Hand wrote in an email. The section covers “harm-reduction skills and resources for support if they are worried about their or a friend's use.”
Hand’s office, the Health and Wellness Education Office, additionally offers programming for students during the school year such as Choices, BASICS and My Story as they need support in navigating their changing relationship to substances.
Furthermore, Jacobs calls for more cross-pollination between the town and the college.
“If there were a way for 3,000 students to come into town and really get to know the locals, that would be wonderful,” Jacobs said. “Those students would not have done any damage downstairs if they had met me before…They’d realize that I’m a nice guy and I’m their neighbor.”
The incident comes as the college works to strengthen its ties with the town, including a provision on being “the town’s college” in President Baucom’s trustee-approved strategic plan that came out earlier this year.
“We expect our students to conduct themselves respectfully at all times, and we are troubled by the behavior reported in this instance,” Vice President for Student Affairs Smita Ruzicka said in a statement to The Campus. “We value our relationship with the community, and work closely with our community partners when concerns are brought to our attention,”
Jacobs confirmed that Ruzicka and Amy Carlin, director of community relations, came by the establishment Monday Sept. 28 to touch base and learn more about the situation. President Ian Baucom also stopped by Monday night.
“This was the first of many conversations about how we can work proactively together to avoid these problems in the future,” Jacobs said.
In the days that followed, Jacobs confirms that dozens of students have reached out in person — including those responsible.
According to Jacobs, the two students connected to the speaker incident returned to the establishment to apologize and offered to make amends on the damage to the assistant general manager, Branden Visser. Additionally, according to internal staff communications, the two students involved in the altercation came in on Saturday Sept. 26 to apologize and speak with the manager. Captains for the men’s hockey team also stopped by Saturday to apologize on the team’s behalf, though Jacobs did not confirm whether they indicated any involvement in the incident.
“I’ve never seen students take accountability so quick,” Jacobs said, adding that staff described the apologies as sincere.
As for the fate of College Night, Jacobs said the students’ response has impacted the direction of the conversation. Before anyone came forward, staff had discussed different interventions including a cover fee to recoup the cost of potential damage. Now, he said, that likely won’t be necessary.
“The fact that so many students, including the culprits, have come forth, is deeply appreciated,” Jacobs said. “And so I think that will probably lean us in the direction of keeping this going.”
As of the reporting of this article, a final decision has not been made; The Two Brothers Tavern team will likely continue the event for at least another week, according to Jacobs.
“If this were to happen two weeks in a row, then I think it would be likely that College Night would go away at least for a little while,” he said.
Met Ly '28 (he/him) is a Managing Editor.
Met is a UWC Davis Scholar majoring in Economics with minors in English and Political Science. He has previously served as a News Editor. He hails from Siem Reap, Cambodia and spent his gap year there as a digital marketing manager and events coordinator. Outside the newsroom, you can find him reading a book he probably won't finish or line dancing in his worn out boots.
