North Campus Tailgating: Is It Really 'Back'?

While the supposed official 'Gameday Gameplan' website has not yet been updated, new regulations for the 2011 tailgating on North Campus have been issued.

The highlighted changes in the media reports include:

• Can now setup 5 hours ahead of game time (from 4 hours).
• Tailgating tents are now allowed
• 6 foot tables allowed! (from 4' previously)

2008 seems like eons ago... From UGA/Bama Blackout, crowd watching on TV the UF/Ole Miss game

In reality, not a monumental change. Tailgating is now feasible on North Campus with a 5 hour window, and I do anticipate North Campus not being a vast, empty wasteland as it was last year. But will there still be grumbling? Sure; alumni will not be completely placated.

I think there still needs to be more flexibility in terms of time and setup... while the time window for setup now is perfectly reasonable for 12:30 games, having to wait and setup until 10:30 for a 3:30pm game is a stretch. And 2:30 for a 7:30 ESPN game just ain't happening.

If the University wants to address North Campus "destruction" and general inebriation, why can't we just bring back the 7am setup rule, and actually enforce the rules? You would think the University Police, of all people, would love to enforce some real laws.

Hopefully McGarity at least will continue to re-evaluate the regulations each off-season and will also make vast steps in providing a realistic infrastructure this fall on North Campus (adequate numbers of trash cans, trash bags and Port-a-Potties are all good starts).

At the end of the day, an Alumni group should establish the broad rules of North Campus tailgating (what you can bring, what you can't bring, and setup times) and allow the police to enforce the laws otherwise on the books. After all, Ole Miss is structured this way, has pretty permissive rules and they actually get positive press for having a good, safe, yet legendary time.

DOA: North Campus Tailgating

Gameday in Athens lost its luster today with the announcement of new rules concerning tailgating for the 2010 football season.

http://gamedaygameplan.com/gameday2010

North Campus, home to a good majority of Georgia fans (including Bubba 'N Earl), has essentially been eliminated as a tailgate spot begin this fall. If the trash was really the issue, they could have implemented a few simple rules to help make sure things were cleaned up. Instead, the University took the extreme approach. What's next? Are they going to turn all of campus into a family free, no alcohol zone?!?!?

Tailgating is a gameday tradition and is one of the reasons football in the South is something special. Ole Miss would never think about shutting down The Grove, but UGA essentially just shut down the closest thing we had. I know people were upset about the trash, but to all those people who threw a fit, I hope you're happy.

Alpha Kappa Psi To Help Take Out the Trash

The Alpha Epsilon chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi, the nation's oldest and most recognized business fraternity is responsibly taking the lead to help keep North Campus clean, impressive, and viable as a future tailgating location for generations to come by donating garbage bags to tailgaters on Saturday.

Details and information on how you can help are available at AE's website.

With just over 50% of the BNE contributing staff being proud alumni, former chapter officers, and current members of the AE/AKPsi Alumni Board, we couldn't be more proud of the chapter's proactive and responsible approach to tackling this problem.

Have a great time tailgating tomorrow, drink heavily (responsibly) to cheer on the Dawgs, but remember to take out your trash.