New U stadium: Pay big bucks & buy a beer, too?

You'll be able to buy a $5 beer at the University of Minnesota's new football stadium -- if you've already spent $1,800-plus on a seat.

President Robert Bruininks is recommending that the university apply for a state liquor license to sell alcohol in four areas of luxury seating at the new TCF Bank Stadium.

The rest of the fans -- notably, the student section -- would not be allowed to purchase beer, wine or liquor.

Right now, students who are 21 years old can buy beer because football games are held off-campus at the Metrodome. The only place the U allows alcohol sales is at Northrop Auditorium, an exemption that passed in 1999 despite some opposition.

The NCAA discourages schools from selling alcohol at games and has itself banned the sale of alcohol at championship games. But other schools, such as the University of Maryland and the University of Wisconsin, allow alcohol sales in their exclusive seating.

Because sales would be limited to select areas of the stadium, the policy "provides a good balance by providing adequate controls on alcohol consumption, while also enabling us to make these more attractive venues," said spokesman Daniel Wolter.

The Board of Regents will review the request today and could take action in December.

Three other U facilities -- Williams Arena, Mariucci Arena and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum -- will likely be the lesser-known beneficiaries of the vote.

The three already allow alcohol in their club areas or, in the Arboretum's case, at wedding parties and other events. But they cannot sell it, necessitating open bars.

So a wedding party needs a permit from the university president's office, insurance and a wad of cash in order to offer wine, said Peter Moe, director of operations for the Arboretum, which is located, far from most students, in Chanhassen.

With the regents' and the state's OK, the arboretum could run a cash bar, he said. Or maybe offer beer in its cafeteria, as other arboretums do. Or perhaps hold wine nights, serving local varieties and having discussions about the horticulture behind them.

He paused. "I know I'm getting cranked up," he said, "but it could really be an important revenue source for us."