When the drinking rules changed, so did the mood on campus, and the crowds went off-campus. It wasn't the lack of alcohol that drove students away, but it was just one more thing that made campus a place to go for classes and nothing else. Bands, and students, didn't come around anymore. But many like to go somewhere, grab a beer, listen to music, dance, play pool and just hang out. It's embarrassing to attend a campus event, no matter how great it turns out to be, and realize you are one of only a couple of dozen people there.
Few people think of campus as more than just buildings and academics.
It's not enough to start offering better things to do on campus, as has been happening in the last two years. It's all in the atmosphere. Attending college is supposed to be a sign of adulthood. At U of L, where the average student's age is 27, there's plenty of adults around. The University's alcohol policies should reflect just that.