Main Street may be scene for those displeased with new tailgating procedures

Tailgating outside Kelly/Shorts Stadium is becoming a more regulated affair, and some participants are objecting.

One student is organizing a movement to gather Greeks and other students to move the tailgating to Main Street. Warren senior Joshua Thomas of Alpha Kappa Psi believes the policy changes are unnecessary.

He said it feels like the university is confining what students can do, and that tailgating is a tradition it should not tamper with.

“We would probably still tailgate because it’s a tradition, but we’d expand around (as well),” Thomas said.

Mount Pleasant sophomore Tay Jackson’s efforts can be found on the Facebook group, “Student Tailgating on Main St.”

The new tailgating policy includes a limit of six alcoholic beverages or one pint of alcoholic beverage per person. Sound systems beyond stock car radios are no not permitted.

The group currently has more than 400 members.

Its description for “Student Tailgating on Main St.” narrates the group’s efforts as being focused toward trying to bring the pregame atmosphere back to the students.

“My vision for the group is like how Michigan State does it — all apartments and student housing areas surrounding campus just grill out then move to the game.” Jackson said in an e-mail.

Jackson said this is likely a better alternative to the practices followed before.

“The old CMU system was obviously out of hand and I’m guessing was too much of a liability for the school. So why even still promote a tailgate when students could spread it out around all the areas of housing and not concentrate a riot in one parking lot?” Jackson said.

For some students, the changes do not seem to be all that restrictive.

“The only thing that seemed different to me was (that there can be) no external sound systems,” Port Huron junior and Alpha Phi Omega member Robert VanBuskirk said.