2008 Woodie Awards
UCF prohibits tailgating after kickoff
Jillian Krotki
Issue date: 6/26/08 Section: News
After a reflection on last year's football season, UCF officials have decided to limit the amount of time tailgaters will have to drink on game day.
As well as last season went, there is always room for improvement, and one area that was unanimous across the board was regarding the time spent tailgating. It's not uncommon to find students tailgating at 7 a.m. for a 7 p.m. football game. Many universities put a limit on the number of hours prior to kickoff that the students are allowed to partake in these activities. The UCF officials didn't feel it necessary to limit the number of hours prior to the game, but they have decided that once the game begins, the drinking must stop.
"SGA [Student Government Association] urged that too many people party without a care about the football game," said vice president for Strategic Planning and Initiatives, Al Harms. "SGA and alumni representatives proposed to knock the drinking off at game time."
Harms said that this is the most substantive change to the policies regarding the fall season and the UCF officials hope that this will help conduct issues.
Although open containers will be forbidden once the game begins, the on-campus restaurants will not be affected. They are separate institutions with strict rules and no changes are anticipated.
"All servers are TIPS certified," Harms said. "This means through a formal process they learned the signs of intoxication that are vital to look for when responsibly distributing alcohol."
Alcohol is only served indoors at the on-campus restaurants that offer it and servers and fans are relied on to understand and respect the standards. Officials insist that there is no need to shut off the spicket on game day.
Violations will be handled by campus police, who will use their judgment to determine the consequences, which can range from a warning to the use of handcuffs. The police will be trusted to make the correct calls. Enforcement will be strengthened.
As well as last season went, there is always room for improvement, and one area that was unanimous across the board was regarding the time spent tailgating. It's not uncommon to find students tailgating at 7 a.m. for a 7 p.m. football game. Many universities put a limit on the number of hours prior to kickoff that the students are allowed to partake in these activities. The UCF officials didn't feel it necessary to limit the number of hours prior to the game, but they have decided that once the game begins, the drinking must stop.
"SGA [Student Government Association] urged that too many people party without a care about the football game," said vice president for Strategic Planning and Initiatives, Al Harms. "SGA and alumni representatives proposed to knock the drinking off at game time."
Harms said that this is the most substantive change to the policies regarding the fall season and the UCF officials hope that this will help conduct issues.
Although open containers will be forbidden once the game begins, the on-campus restaurants will not be affected. They are separate institutions with strict rules and no changes are anticipated.
"All servers are TIPS certified," Harms said. "This means through a formal process they learned the signs of intoxication that are vital to look for when responsibly distributing alcohol."
Alcohol is only served indoors at the on-campus restaurants that offer it and servers and fans are relied on to understand and respect the standards. Officials insist that there is no need to shut off the spicket on game day.
Violations will be handled by campus police, who will use their judgment to determine the consequences, which can range from a warning to the use of handcuffs. The police will be trusted to make the correct calls. Enforcement will be strengthened.