Staff Writer

ONEONTA — Sick of the lack of weekend-night activities for the under-21 crowd, a group of local college students is seeking a non-alcoholic dance club for downtown, students and college officials said.

"We just want to be able to go somewhere where we can dance and have fun and be where we are supposed to be," said State University College at Oneonta sophomore Stephanie Lanning. "We need something for underage students to do."

Lanning, along with several other SUCO and Hartwick College students and personnel from both colleges, have been looking at location, funding and entertainment options for the club, said Dale Capristo, a student development associate at SUCO.

"It's still in the very, very early stages," Capristo said. "We're trying to figure things out in order to move forward."

The group belongs to the Leatherstocking College Consortium for Alcohol and Drug Prevention, a coalition of SUCO, Hartwick, the State University College of Technology at Delhi and Herkimer County Community College, which met in October to discuss alcohol issues in the local communities, Lanning said.

Students said, so far, they have discussed ideas for what the club should look like and what it should offer students.

"We want it to be a place people can just enjoy and relax," SUCO junior Chad Pachtinger said.

Students don't necessarily want to sneak into bars for weekend entertainment — they just want to go out, Lanning added.

"More kids are getting caught (in bars)," she said. "They're getting frustrated, and they just don't know where to go."

Pachtinger said the group will try to secure grants to fund the club and is looking for soft drink companies to donate funding.

"People just want to go out," he said. "They want to get dressed up, get off campus, but not necessarily drink," said Pachtinger, who will be 21 in December.

Oneonta Mayor Kim Muller said she likes the idea of a non-alcoholic dance club.

"Something like that would be great," she said. "I would certainly help them in any way I can."

Meanwhile, Capristo said, the students are planning to talk to bar owners before their next meeting to see if they'd hold "non-alcoholic nights" on a trial basis.

"If we could get bar owners to commit to running it just one night," Capristo said. "The proof is always in whether the students go."

Pachtinger said the group submitted a survey to Hartwick and SUCO students, and most said they would frequent a non-alcoholic club.

Melissa Albright, also a consortium member, said everyone she talks to is excited about the prospect.

"From the people that we talk to, I think a lot of people would go," she said. "We've gotten really good feedback."

Meanwhile, Karen Liddle, the Otsego County STOP-DWI coordinator, said she is helping the students work out the details.

"The students just went into it and said, 'We're going to do a dance club,'" she said. "I'm kind of guiding them along."

Liddle said she and the group have discussed ways to make the club work, including what to do with the building during the day.

Tammy Hammon-Card, a Hartwick counselor and a member of the consortium, said the students are prepared for the amount of work they'll have to do.

"It's certainly not an easy process," she said.

The consortium plans to meet again at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in the Telecenter.

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Carolyn Norton can be reached at cnorton@thedailystar.com or (607) 441-7218.