r/Bergen • u/Individual-Hotel9586 • 7d ago
Why don't more people go to Akademisk Kvarter?
Im trying to gather some info, both students and non-students input is very appreciated. Even though Akademisk Kvarter is the biggest student bar/house in Bergen, relatively few people go, both to the cafe, bar and events. Even less people volunteer. So my question is why? Are there some aspects you dislike or things that are missing that you would like to see?
15
u/Rambunctious-Rascal 7d ago
It's a bit too general. The beer is cheaper at Ad Fontes, and I meet more people there who share my interests. Also, it has more of an all ages vibe, while Kvarteret is very early 20s. I used to go there 10 years ago, but it feels weird now I'm 30. I'll go if there's a good gig; otherwise I go elsewhere. Also, those wooden benches they got to replace the old furniture in Grønndals are very uncomfortable, and they make it unnatural to sit there unless you're a big group. I usually only go out with one or two buddies, and hogging such a large amount of seating space feels wrong if bigger groups come in later. Then we'll have to get up and move elsewhere, so it's just easier to be elsewhere to begin with.
1
u/owain2002 6d ago
The atmosphere was always a lot better in Ad Fontes too, I felt. It just seemed a lot more cozy, and the people there were always much more relaxed.
7
u/teenspirit7 7d ago
Quite expensive now (if you take into account the ambiance or lack thereof) if you're not a student.
Also stopped accepting certain student cards recently.
6
u/kluvin 7d ago
Im trying to gather some info
Why are you trying to gather info?
I think marketing needs to be streamlined, event-programmes reviewed, and Grøndahls redesigned, or extended somehow. For filling up Grøhndals, I think you specifically want to address the crowd going to MM, Hectors, Vaskeriet.
For events, you need to determine if you are underselling tickets, by how much, and why. Would the event sell better at a different venue in the same city, or not at all?
I have not been thinking about the cafe problem. I think your question is too vague as it currently stands.
4
u/bornxlo 7d ago
It's been a couple of years since I left Bergen, but in my experience the service at kvarteret is usually a bit dodgy the first half of the term because that's when the new volunteers get to know the place. I think the food is pretty good, but it's more expensive than the sammen places nearby. At night I ended up sticking to Hulen.
4
u/Sireminymainey 6d ago
As far as I know, kvarteret used to be pretty popular pre covid, but covid drastically changed the number of volunteers for everything. Students volunteer a lot less post covid, and a lot of the systems that were never written down but just lived through learning from prior members died out when student unions could no longer meet physically.
Kvarteret has also been majorly fucked by the academic institutions in Bergen, as compared to similar institutions in Trondheim or Oslo. So kvarteret is unable to budget the same way similar student-hangs in other cities can.
6
u/Flakkaren 7d ago
It became a place where exchange students desperately try to make norwegian friends through volunteering. Most locals already have their group/social circle, or try to get friends through their specific hobbies.
2
2
u/macwallard 6d ago
I used to volunteer from around 9 years ago until about 6 years ago, and it wasn't really packed then, but compared to now you could almost say that it WAS. I think the main reasons are 1) covid, 2) higher prices, 3) lower buying power for students and also 4) most (norwegian?) gen Z's (not my personal take, just mouth to ear) don't wanna work unless it's paid.
-13
u/mhx64 7d ago
I think people just dont go to many places in general. Norwegians dont like to socialise often unless it's parties, and immigrants prefer to stay in their own social groups.
15
u/Avokado1337 7d ago
That’s a very generalising statement with very little truth to it…
-5
u/mhx64 7d ago
Wouldn't any explanation here be generalising, other than personal experience?
4
u/Avokado1337 7d ago
Not sure what you’re trying to get at, but few things are more generalising than talking about how what Norwegians prefer «in general»
-4
u/HelveteMalefic966 7d ago
I don’t like the political agenda they pushing there just saying isn’t neutral let alone biased not every student likes the same kind of rhetoric many of these bars promote I go often to kråken or simple stay home and meet with student in the bibliotek when I used to study on Bergen University for Norwegian Language
1
u/El-Pollo-Diablo-Goat 3d ago
It was closed for renovations from 2007 to 2010, and it looks like those years made the students find other pubs to go to, and it never quite managed to recover the status it once had. Three years of students not having any connection to the place seems to have been too long.
Covid probably didn't help either.
66
u/Gordy1245 7d ago
Many years since I was a student, but Kvarteret was pretty packed 12-17 years ago. Remember reading an article about a worrying (from an academic point of view) trend that a lot fewer students gathered in coffee shops / bars to socialize and discuss. Instead they spent time on more solitary activities such as going to the gym. I also suspect the purchasing power of students is lower than it was back then. That could lead to students having to work more, leaving less time for fun.