2008 Woodie Awards
Tailgating troubles
IPTAY seizes last spots available to students
By: Pedro Ildefonso
Issue date: 9/5/08 Section: News
With the arrival of a new fall semester, questions surrounding the football season have begun to surface. How many games are the Tigers going to win? To what bowl game-if any-will the team be invited?
However, the question most people are not asking is, "Where am I going to tailgate?"
Perhaps this would be a more popular inquiry if Clemson fans knew that IPTAY, the University's well-known collegiate club, has laid claim to the majority of campus tailgating spots.
Many of these areas, which are reserved solely for paying IPTAY members, were formerly available for general public use on game days. Now, visiting fans and students alike are forced to look elsewhere to host their tailgates. When asked where non-IPTAY members are supposed to spend their pre-game hours, Head of Parking Services Geary Robinson responded, "I don't know."
The real answer may be much more complicated. The most popular locations for tailgating have been over in the Brooks Center parking lots and the lot adjacent to the Strom Thurmond Institute. This summer, IPTAY, after solidifying a deal that gave the organization control of R1 at the end of last year, seized full control of the aforementioned locations.
Undergraduate Student Body President Boyd said she has been working all summer to find general student tailgating locations. The first spots she examined were car-less and would require a system to redirect traffic and move tailgating materials across long distances. However, this was deemed not viable, leading to plans to a car-based tailgating location.
Acceding to Boyd, the most feasible locations include the Tiger Band Practice Field, Bowman Field, and Y Beach. The Tiger Band Field was ruled out as it proves harazadous to march on uneven terrain that could result from the tailgating traffic.
Boyd discussed the possibility of using Bowman with University Facilities who informed her that "Bowman will be brown the whole football season if tailgating occurs during home games." Though not the desired location, Bowman is still being considered to ensure students get tailgating locations.
However, the question most people are not asking is, "Where am I going to tailgate?"
Perhaps this would be a more popular inquiry if Clemson fans knew that IPTAY, the University's well-known collegiate club, has laid claim to the majority of campus tailgating spots.
Many of these areas, which are reserved solely for paying IPTAY members, were formerly available for general public use on game days. Now, visiting fans and students alike are forced to look elsewhere to host their tailgates. When asked where non-IPTAY members are supposed to spend their pre-game hours, Head of Parking Services Geary Robinson responded, "I don't know."
The real answer may be much more complicated. The most popular locations for tailgating have been over in the Brooks Center parking lots and the lot adjacent to the Strom Thurmond Institute. This summer, IPTAY, after solidifying a deal that gave the organization control of R1 at the end of last year, seized full control of the aforementioned locations.
Undergraduate Student Body President Boyd said she has been working all summer to find general student tailgating locations. The first spots she examined were car-less and would require a system to redirect traffic and move tailgating materials across long distances. However, this was deemed not viable, leading to plans to a car-based tailgating location.
Acceding to Boyd, the most feasible locations include the Tiger Band Practice Field, Bowman Field, and Y Beach. The Tiger Band Field was ruled out as it proves harazadous to march on uneven terrain that could result from the tailgating traffic.
Boyd discussed the possibility of using Bowman with University Facilities who informed her that "Bowman will be brown the whole football season if tailgating occurs during home games." Though not the desired location, Bowman is still being considered to ensure students get tailgating locations.
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