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65 medical runs at CMU tailgate in 2008; just one so far in 2009

By on October 5, 2009 6:45 am in University / 6 comments

 
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Tailgating at Kelly/Shorts Stadium last year resulted in a much larger number of medical runs than the first two games this year while also attracting fewer people.

According to numbers provided by Central Michigan University Police Chief Bill Yeagley, tailgating last year resulted in 65 incidents in which an individual had to be transported to the hospital, compared to one thus far in 2009.

A total of 19 emergency runs were reported during the first home football game on Aug. 28, 2008, against Eastern Illinois. In comparison, one such run was reported at the first home game this year on Sept. 19 against Alcorn State.

Medical incidents at tailgate
• 2008 (5 games): 65 out of an estimated 1,350 people
• 2009 (2 games): 1 out of an estimated 350 people
SOURCE: CMU Police

The second home game in 2008 against Buffalo saw 11 medical runs, compared to no reported incidents at the Sept. 26 game against Akron this year. The following three home games in 2008 resulted in eight, 17 and 10 respective medical runs.

Attendance slide

Yeagley said he estimates the average tailgating attendance at last year’s first two home games to be from 1,200 to 1,500 people, but those numbers are far from official.

If the average tailgating attendance from 2008 is 1,350 people — halfway between 1,200 and 1,500 — there were approximately .96 medical runs per 100 people in attendance at the first two games.

That compares to .14 medical runs per 100 students in 2009, if the average attendance number is 350.

Yeagley said he could not pinpoint the specifics of each individual emergency, but said a fair number of them were because of alcohol poisoning.

“Over the past number of years, (the medical runs) had been going up consistently,” Yeagley said.

The number of alcohol violations and other crimes also have seen a significant decrease with the new procedures. In 2008, police issued 25 MIP’s over five games. In addition, there were five disorderly conduct reports, two assaults, three larcenies and three destruction of property incidents.

One MIP has been issued and one larceny reported in Lot 63 so far this year. That comes with a dip in attendance from more than 1,000 to around 300 because of students protesting the new tailgating policy.

CMU adopted the policy last month to limit students to six beers or one pint of liquor each while also creating an emergency lane, banning external sound systems and setting five to six pedestrian “checkpoints.”

Yeagley said in order to determine the true effects of the new tailgating policies, he would have to go back and determine an appropriate per capita ratio.

“I would go back to those ‘08 games and see how many people we had,” he said.

 

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  • cmugirl

    Enough with the same old tailgate articles. Doesn’t central realize that nobody is going to go to these tailgates? I’m sick of reading about how bad tailgate this year is, trust me I KNOW. Centrals not budging, students aren’t budging and meanwhile CMLife just keeps giving us the same old information. If you really want a story, why don’t you go to main street? Interview a 1000 students and see how many of them go to tailgate or do something alternative. and then with those that aren’t at tailgate see how many actually go to the game or have drove with a drunk driver or drove drunk themselves. writing is pointless if you don’t make a difference.

  • PK

    Medical runs have decreased at the tailgate lot…but what about on Main St and at all of the other apartment complexes??? CMU simply shifted where the incidents and problems occur at.

  • Alan Smithee

    This was certainly an ignorant article to run; a huge part of why there is so much protest dealing with the tailgate situation is the attention that the issue is getting. I believe that the university has done way too much this time in it’s abuse of power, and everyone knows this. Yet, they seem to be sticking to their guns, and so will the students. Drop the topic. I am so ashamed to be called a Chippewa this year, and I am extremely thankful that Central/Western isn’t in Mount Pleasant this year…we would be laughed right out of town. This just better be changed back to the way it was by tailgate 2010.

  • Jeff

    The fact that Chief Yeagley claims there are 1,200-1,500 people at a tailgate is almost as absurd as the tailgating rules themselves. I was hoping to see an article in CM Life with comments from Heeke, Burdette, Yeagley, Van der Merwe, and Coach Jones. I can’t believe they are not repealing or changing anything. Especially when they claim the #’s have ‘dramatically escalated’ over the years. How can you say that when it’s an average of 13 incidents? What did it skyrocket from…10?

  • ChrisCDavis

    Easy solution to the problem: compel students to purchase reduced-cost tickets in advance of game day and to present those tickets before being admitted into the student tailgate area. No ticket? No tailgate. Period. Don’t have a ticket? Set up a ticket booth outside the tailgate area, make your purchase, then walk in and join your friends for the party.

    CMU is something of a rarity in that its student body gets free admission to home athletic events. Taking this approach would raise revenue, provide a greater level of guarantee that those tailgating would attend the game and reduce the level of “babysitting” being done by campus security. Instead of counting drinks per person, just make sure each tailgater has a ticket.

    Both the university and the student tailgate complainers share in the blame in this situation. By any measure, the student tailgate lot has been completely trashed after home games, and the irresponsible behavior of a few (not ALL) has unfortunately spoken for the masses. On the other hand, the university — as it typically does — has acted with a heavy hand instead of a measured response.

    As an alum and one who didn’t miss a CMU home game for 12 consecutive seasons, there’s nothing I love more than the atmosphere of Kelly / Shorts on game day. Students should be able to enjoy themselves (hey…it’s college!) but the university should be able to set some reasonable guidelines in the process.

  • Keith

    First off Jeff. Yeagley said that there were 1200-1500 in 2008 not this year (re-read the article) Second, this article is proof that the students are right about the policies being dumb. Yeagly shows that there was only about 1 percent of problems in 2008. So far there is about 1 percent this year. This just shows that with the policies and with WAYYY less people attending that there will almost always be someone causing a problem. None of these rules will stop problems. They may lessen them but some people will always be in the I drank too much section. Change the rules back.