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Does Lack Of Bar / Night Life Scene Near Campus Effect Recruiting

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oldmandeac

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On my recent trips back to Winston Salem, I was very surprised by the lack of a bar and restaurant scene near campus. In my day, many years ago, there was TOG and Pizza Garden, to name two spots, near the basketball and football facilities which were popular student destinations. When I was last in the area, the owner of one of the restaurants across from the Joel indicated they closed by 9 pm to avoid the gangs. Times have changed.

A Wake buddy of mine and I are in Austin for the Texas Baylor game (I respect and liked Jim Grobe) and had lunch along Guadalupe just off campus which featured multiple bars and restaurants. I started thinking about Franklin St in Chapel Hill, Toomey Corner in Auburn, and the strip just off of Alabama's campus...

My question and point is as follows:unlike these other schools, of which I've only mentioned a few, Wake doesn't offer a robust night live (I would say it has declined substantially over the years) for students / recruits. In other words, it is not a fun place to be.

Does this impact recruiting as much as I am thinking it does?
 
Who needs bars when you have armed robberies
 
oldmandeac said:
On my recent trips back to Winston Salem, I was very surprised by the lack of a bar and restaurant scene near campus. In my day, many years ago, there was TOG and Pizza Garden, to name two spots, near the basketball and football facilities which were popular student destinations. When I was last in the area, the owner of one of the restaurants across from the Joel indicated they closed by 9 pm to avoid the gangs. Times have changed.

A Wake buddy of mine and I are in Austin for the Texas Baylor game (I respect and liked Jim Grobe) and had lunch along Guadalupe just off campus which featured multiple bars and restaurants. I started thinking about Franklin St in Chapel Hill, Toomey Corner in Auburn, and the strip just off of Alabama's campus...

My question and point is as follows:unlike these other schools, of which I've only mentioned a few, Wake doesn't offer a robust night live (I would say it has declined substantially over the years) for students / recruits. In other words, it is not a fun place to be.

Does this impact recruiting as much as I am thinking it does?
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I thought that was somewhere in Pennsylvania
 
Having bars/restaurants within walking distance of campus is nice, but is definitely not the only aspect of a college experience that would determine how fun a school is. Plus, there are lots of great places in downtown Winston-Salem that have opened up in the last 10 years that Wake students can get to with a shuttle or an Uber.
 
For the size of our student body there is plenty of nightlife. It's just on campus or in very nearby housing. The one thing the bar/restaurant scene does impact is the lack of students and athletes we have getting arrested or cited for dumb shit that Wake can't just gloss over. Also, WS downtown is actually pretty good now. Plenty of successful schools have much worse situations than we do. We truly offer a different college experience than basically anywhere playing at a Power 5 level as someone who has been involved with multiple institutions all over the US (and also Europe and the Middle East).

Edited to add that for kids from all over the US we are closer to major airports and multiple other legitimate cities than many places.
 
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I think it does. This is why St. John's is such a powerhouse recruiting wise. NYC's nightlife is legendary!
 
The idea that Winston's night life is worse now is laughable.

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Right. All recruits dream of the day they turn 21 and can legally enjoy a bar. It's all they think about. It's also a a ridiculous drinking age.
 
bojanglefunk said:
The idea that Winston's night life is worse now is laughable.

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The idea is coming from someone who is out of school and no longer close to the scene, so you might cut him some slack. Also, he is talking about the immediate area around campus.

A few years ago there seemed to be a serious effort underway to liven up the area around the stadium/coliseum and encourage development of those properties. Unfortunately, it coincided with the recession and it appears that things never really got off the ground. Now, that whole area is pretty much a wasteland, and the neighborhoods surrounding campus are seeing more and more crime.

Downtown may be much improved, but Wake ought to be concerned about the decline along University Parkway/Deacon Blvd.
 
Maybe bring the nightlife to the recruit like Louisville.
 
deacvision7 said:
I think it does. This is why St. John's is such a powerhouse recruiting wise. NYC's nightlife is legendary!
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I mean to be fair St. Johns is farther away from NYC night life than Wake is from downtown Winston
 
You're not going to get any better than:

Ziggys
Baitys
That crap bar Fred B's that smelled like puke year round even when Bobby Sura showed up to nail Fideles
Taco Bell
Elizabeth's
KFC
La Carreta
Putters
Sub House II
That stupid bar with the dance floor
And of course On The Fringe

That is what we used to secure all the big time recruits back in the day. Easy walk to campus, but nobody ever walked, because that road was sketch. Glad to see gangs and armed robberies have resolved the issue.

Take that Franklin Street with your craft beers. Craft beers. Give me a break. I am drinking PBR right now.
 
MysteryMen said:
I mean to be fair St. Johns is farther away from NYC night life than Wake is from downtown Winston
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Yea I couldn't tell if that post was serious. Really, really dumb if so. Jamaica, Queens is where New York nightlife is at!

ETA: and St John's isn't even that close to "downtown" Jamaica.
 
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BeachBumDeac said:
Having bars/restaurants within walking distance of campus is nice, but is definitely not the only aspect of a college experience that would determine how fun a school is. Plus, there are lots of great places in downtown Winston-Salem that have opened up in the last 10 years that Wake students can get to with a shuttle or an Uber.
Click to expand...
This
 
Athletic facilities.

You have the best, you get the best. That's what kids want.


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Complacent Deac said:
You're not going to get any better than:

Ziggys
Baitys
That crap bar Fred B's that smelled like puke year round even when Bobby Sura showed up to nail Fideles
Taco Bell
Elizabeth's
KFC
La Carreta
Putters
Sub House II
That stupid bar with the dance floor
And of course On The Fringe

That is what we used to secure all the big time recruits back in the day. Easy walk to campus, but nobody ever walked, because that road was sketch. Glad to see gangs and armed robberies have resolved the issue.

Take that Franklin Street with your craft beers. Craft beers. Give me a break. I am drinking PBR right now.
Click to expand...

This post is magical - early 90s represent, especially that stupid bar with the dance floor. Only thing you are missing is pizza spinners and Akron drive diner.
 
Rolfe said:
This post is magical - early 90s represent, especially that stupid bar with the dance floor. Only thing you are missing is pizza spinners and Akron drive diner.
Click to expand...

While we're reminiscing, he left out Wendy's and IHOP.
 
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