Officials said new tailgating rules rolled out this week won’t target students.
In fact, officers will be more likely to issue warnings during the first football game than make arrests. And they’ll focus just as much on out-of-town visitors.
Officials announced the new “Think Before You Drink” program on Monday, unveiling new initiatives they say will make Hawkeye tailgating safer. The program is the brainchild of the Committee to Improve Hawkeye Football Game Day Culture, which includes members of departments like athletics, human resources, and risk-management.
Pregame activities such as walking with open containers of alcohol to and from Kinnick Stadium, or the consumption of large amounts of alcohol via beer bongs or other games, which are subject to citation, will be more heavily enforced.
Postgame activities will also be monitored more closely than previous years. Tailgaters will be required to cease alcohol consumption on university property one hour after the game and leave the property two hours after.
UI police will also implement checkpoints to ensure nobody is driving from the game with open alcohol containers or is visibly intoxicated.
“We often see people with open cans of beer in their car; we are very concerned with people driving while intoxicated,” said Charles Green, the assistant vice president for the UI police.
Some students are hopeful they will see no change in the game day experience.
“I feel like most of the rules were already in place, but now they are just saying they want to enforce them more,” said UI junior Kylie Lemkau. “Even before all of this, if people were getting out of hand, cops would put a stop to it.”
Green has said UI police have an adequate police force for tailgating security, because his department hired additional officers over the summer for a new downtown beat.
The change in rules is meant to make the tailgating environment safe for everyone, not just students, officials said.
While tailgating problems are usually blamed on students, he said, statistics show police charges are more widespread.
Fifty-two percent of arrests during last year’s season-opener involved people older than 21.
“We’re targeting the knuckleheads,” said Hawkeye Athletics Director Gary Barta during a press conference on Monday.
While alumni and students said they will continue to tailgate, some of the new rules worry them.
“Probably the biggest downside to the rules is an hour after the game, many of us alumni — we come from pretty far out — so we may want to stay into the afternoon,” said UI alumnus Scott Drey. “But I understand wanting to control the timing and eliminate drunk people on the road.”
Despite concerns about the one-hour drinking curfew, Green said, the program is primarily a reinforcement of existing rules.
“Most of this is not new but is a stronger commitment to some of the regulations that have been there, and we are just hoping everyone will share in this with us,” he said.