Driving home from a disappointing Iowa football game Saturday, ASG President Adam Humann got an electronic page that read: “OK. Looks good.”
The page was from Interim Vice President for Student Affairs William Banis, signifying that seniors 21 and older can join the alumni tailgate before the final football game Nov. 18 at Ryan Field. The tailgate, which will have alcohol available, will take place on the rooftop at the north end of the stadium.
Humann and three other student leaders met with administrators several times this quarter to try to reach a compromise concerning alcohol at tailgates. In spring 1999, administrators pushed fraternity presidents to ban alcohol from tailgates to comply with U.S. law and their national fraternity charters. The fraternity presidents voted to eliminate alcohol, and tailgates nearly disappeared last season.
If students attending the alumni tailgate Saturday act responsibly, however, administrators will consider non-dry tailgates for undergraduates next year, Banis said.
“Students presented a responsible and reasonable proposal, and we tried to be responsive,” Banis said. “We’re trying this as a pilot test. We’ll see how it works and go from there.”
Banis said he discussed the issue with University President Henry Bienen, Provost Lawrence Dumas and Athletic Director Rick Taylor before accepting Humann’s proposal. He said much of the discussion was about mundane issues, such as whether the rooftop could hold the students’ weight.
“We think we can make this work,” Banis said. “We think this will be a positive experience for everyone. I have every confidence that this will go well.”
Before Saturday’s game, students entering the alumni tailgate will have to scan their WildCARDs to prove their age, and they will only be able to enter through the northeast entrance. They also will have to give their football tickets to collectors before entering the tailgate and will not be allowed to re-enter the stadium if they leave. The tailgate will begin at 9:45 a.m., about two hours before the game starts and will end about 10 to 15 minutes before kickoff.
Also, students will receive an ID bracelet that servers will punch in exchange for a beer. Students will have a two-beer limit.
Interfraternity President Dustin Cook, who helped Humann with the proposal independent of IFC, said two beers a person is enough.
“That’s pretty much the given standard for staying under the legal limit,” said Cook, a McCormick senior.
For next season, Humann has proposed that there be a separate area with alcohol for undergraduates 21 and older. Rather than having fraternities pay for the alcohol as they did in the past, Humann wants to get corporations to sponsor the tailgates.
The success of Saturday’s tailgate, Humann said, could persuade administrators to approve the proposal.
“If students aren’t out of control and we act in a fairly responsible manner and there aren’t any major problems as a result of the tailgate, I’ll consider it a success,” said Humann, a Weinberg senior.
Both Humann and Cook said administrators’ approval of the alumni tailgate shows they listen to students.
“We came to a compromise and worked through all the issues together of what can happen, what can’t happen, what things can go wrong,” Cook said. “It shows that students and administrators can work together.”
The Daily’s Sasha Talcott contributed to this report.
