Higher Ground, a club that has had a bit of an identity crisis during the past few years, changed its policy on selling alcohol this year in an attempt to draw a more diverse crowd to the club.

“For a while we were dry for political reasons,” said Matt Simmons, a senior student manager.

It took a long time to get the change through, he said.

The core demographic for the club is the 18- to 20-year olds who live in the residence halls, but Simmons said Higher Ground is seeking out students from Chancellors Hall and off-campus students to attend club events.

To go to Higher Ground, off-campus students would have to travel farther than Water Street, sophomore Brent Trondson said. The prices are higher than other establishments and the selection of beer is limited to Leinenkugel’s.

Simmons said the addition of selling beer could bring in larger audiences for the Friday night dances and Saturday night live music events.

In addition to beer, Higher Ground also serves specialty burgers, appetizers and submarine sandwiches, Simmons said.

“I didn’t want to wait in line at the cafeteria,” sophomore Josh Stangl said. “My roommate and I wanted a change of pace.”

Since Sodexho took over the campus food service, he said, one dining service member works the grill, but students run the rest of the establishment.

“For having only one person on the grill, the speed of the service was adequate,” Stangl said.

Simmons said that business is better this year than last. He said Higher Ground hasn’t been doing more advertising, but students have been gathering at the club because of recommendations from other students.

The highest attendance this year was during CUBEfest and Homecoming.

Simmons said about 200 people went to the club for a Friday night dance last week, and a little less than 200 came to the Saturday night live music show, featuring the band Floodplane.

Simmons said the average for Friday and Saturday nights is typically 50 people each show.

The new “lounge hours” from 3 to 11 p.m. on weekdays give some students a new place to study, Simmons said.

Freshman Allen Dahm said he likes the couches and the small area tucked away from the rest of the club, but he wouldn’t study at the club because of the activity going on.

Stangl also said the atmosphere is too busy and distracting for effective studying.

“For a study break, yes, but to actually study, no,” he said.

Dahm and Trondson both suggested that more couches be brought in and the small area be more enclosed to create a more intimate area for students to gather.

They also said they would come to the club more if there were video games, more couches and a big screen TV.

Higher Ground currently has five televisions, a pool table, a foosball table and computers for students to use for free.

“It’s a cool place because it’s totally student-run,” Simmons said.

“We’ve been working really hard for it to become a place for the students,” Simmons said. “And it’s finally becoming a place for the students.”