I know some colleges currently serve beer in dining halls, requiring
proper identification and careful monitoring of consumption.  Back in
the 70's when the drinking age was 18 in many places, did they freely
serve beer in college dining halls, specifically at the University of
Connecticut?

I'm going to answer this using old school tactics - actually quoting
from a book!

The book "University of Connecticut" by Mark J. Roy from the College
History Series chronicles the history of the university from its
beginnings to the present day

says on p104:

"The voting and drinking age were lowered to 18 in 1972, and in
addition to voter registration, plans were made to serve beer in the
Student Union."

As a result, UConn earned a reputation as a "Party College" - one
which it is arguably still trying to shed.

Whether they served it freely, the book does not say - but if one can
compare US colleges in the 70s with universities in the UK currently,
where the drinking age is still 18 might suggest that the answer was
"yes". (There are very few restrictions on the serving of alcohol on
UK campuses beyond the legal restrictions of having a license to serve
liquors).

Regards

calebu2-ga

Search method :

Google (unsuccessful - tried several variants) :
[beer "student union" 1972 connecticut]

Book : ISBN 0-7385-0856-X "University of Connecticut" by Mark J. Roy