A student’s view on new tailgating rules

Olayinka Gbolahan
Staff Writer

Minnesota State University, Mankato has recently updated its Tailgating Operation Procedures. This procedure would result in a limitation to alcohol consumption in designated locations, enforce the campus tobacco free regulation and so on.

I am on the side of the procedure. Since I am presently under 21 years of age, it is illegal for me to consume alcohol. The rule does permit alcohol consumption unless for cases where individuals would be found in violation of MSS340A.503.

Also, alcohol consumption is restricted to only Lot 7 and Lot 20A and disallow the provision of kegs, party balls and so on that would encourage large volume of consumptions. This would help prevent alcohol poisoning, and a lot of bad decisions.

These rules are put in place to better protect students. It disallows glass containers of any kind; this would prevent some unwanted violent altercation especially with alcohol in the situation. It might not be able to prevent fighting, but I think is better for people to fist it out than to have a readily available weapon that can make it bloody quickly.

Sales of products, food or beverage without prior and appropriate authorization from the school. There is no negative derivation from this rule, this just ensures that the school knows where all the vendors come from to help protect the student from negative food consumption.

At least, after eating a cheeseburger that you bought for $8.79, which resulted in food poisoning, you would know who to contact to help that hospital bill and maybe a heavy compensation.

On disallowing smoking or open pit fires, this just conforms to the already establish rule that MNSU is a smoke-free campus. Although, throughout campus, there have been unassigned designated smoking spots, which has resulted into 70% of students being exposed to tobacco smoke according to Mavs for Clean Air. This is a sad statistic, but it is comforting to know that the school is doing its best to better protect students especially if one has a pre-existing health condition pertaining to smoking.

You may be the party hard type that hates this rule or someone like me that supports it, or someone that doesn’t really care. Wherever you stand, just try your possible best to make a good experience out of it while abiding to the rules.

For your sake, it is better to be in the known than not. So if you have any question concerning the new rules, make effort to contact campus security.

Header photo courtesy of Flickr.