When I last wrote about the Rathskeller Lounge, it was a story of late-night eats, beer-hall memories and a basement that somehow felt like the center of Tulane University’s student life on campus. Now, after months of renovation, The Rat reopens, shinier, sleeker, but missing much of the history that gave it soul.

The Rathskeller Lounge, located in the basement of the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life, has been a Tulane fixture since 1966. Over the decades, this space has lived many lives: a Beer hall, a WOW American Eats cafe outlet, and even a makeshift classroom. Just in time for the fall 2025 semester, the “new” Rat unveils expanded seating, modern design, and a student-centered environment that Tulane officials say will serve as a hub for upcoming programming and events like the grand opening party, pub trivia, and karaoke.  

In my last article, I dug deep into the artifacts of The Rat’s past: old The Tulane Hullabaloo articles, specialized menu items like the 16-inch pancake, alumni interviews, Yelp reviews, and nostalgic online threads recalling wild nights that defined that space. Needless to say, the result was crystal clear: The Rat wasn’t just a room on campus; it was a space of energy, love, and community. 

That’s why, for me, this renovation is a mixed success. On the surface, it is a beautiful space for students to study, collaborate or hang out. But it also feels like a smaller, quieter version of the Hub, which, let’s be honest, is only a two-minute walk away. If students really needed another study space, a location closer to the A-quad with academic buildings would have made more sense. 

What’s more troubling is what’s missing: the legacy. The new Rat has no mention of its rich history of a lively past. What happened to the entertaining environment with pool tables, video and arcade games, musical performances, or the 4 a.m. late-night food spot? Alumni tales of “ten-cent beer nights,” “free tequila nights” in the ‘70s or even using meal plans for beer in the early ’90s now read like fever dreams.  

Tulane prides itself on preserving historical spaces, from its century-old academic halls to the traditions that still define campus culture. Yet, The Rat remains a mystery, absent from official history and now stripped of the very energy that made it unforgettable. The walls are painted anew, and the furniture is made modern, but in the process, Tulane erases a whole chapter of student life. Until the university chooses to honor The Rat’s past, this renovation will stand less as a revival and more as a quiet erasure of campus culture.