By Mike Kaszuba
The Minnesota Senate overwhelmingly passed a compromise proposal Saturday to allow the University of Minnesota to serve alcohol in the new TCF Bank Stadium.
The move continued a late-session rush by legislators to make alcohol available in some parts of the stadium, which opened last fall, and left the issue before the House and Gov. Tim Pawlenty before the Legislature adjourns Monday.
Under the latest proposal, the university could permit alcohol in the stadium's premium seats provided that at least one third of the general seating area also offered alcohol. The proposal would also give wide latitude to the school to designate which general seating areas would have alcohol, a move that could lead to issuing wrist bands or creating so-called beer tents.
Seventy-five percent of the revenue from the alcohol sales would go to scholarships for undergraduate students from Minnesota whose families had an annual adjusted gross income of less than $100,000.
The policy would also apply to the school's hockey and basketball facilities.
University officials last year wanted to serve alcohol in only the premium seats at TCF Bank Stadium, but legislators and Pawlenty argued that alcohol should be available throughout the stadium, or not at all. School officials, reacting to that decision, decided to ban alcohol throughout the stadium.
A university spokesman said the school's administrators would consider the new policy, but indicated the school was not enthusiastic about the new plan. Legislators said school officials have told them they have had to steeply discount premium seat prices because of the liquor ban.
