Bowling for Scholars

The Oregon State Barometer announced today that the bowling lanes in the basement of the Memorial Union may be closed due to lack of use, meaning lack of financial support. This would be a real shame. When I was a student there, I would go there a couple times a month with friends to escape hot days and enjoy the lack of crowds, which is the MU's real advantage over Highland Bowl on Ninth Street.

Then again, I was practically raised in a bowling alley. My first paid job was keeping score for American Bowling Congress tournament games for tip money, long before computers were brought in to replace 10-year-old kids with decent math skills.

The MU Basement also has billiards and an arcade that are not being used, maybe because college students these days find it too easy to get into Tailgaters. But also, the bowling lanes there are really not maintained. Even in the early '90s when I was a regular visitor, the lanes were never kept oiled and the wood was chipped in places. The lanes have since been resurfaced, but the lack of oil is still a problem.

The decision isn't final yet, and some students are considering various promotion ideas to bring in more customers. Two bowling classes continue to use the lanes and the entire basement can be rented out for private parties -- maybe an opportunity for the frat houses to hold an event that doesn't involve kegs. Or not.

I may have to dig out the old bowling shoes and drag the Corvallist offspring down there this weekend in a show of support. I'll be sure to complain bitterly about the dry lanes for old times' sake.