Some tailgaters have been reporting cases of lost items after they leave the Junction. Questions remain as to whether the items have been stolen by other people or confiscated by MSU’s facilities management department. We think tailgating at the Junction is generally a good idea – an idea that was created by both MSU’s administration and student government. However, the time has come where it is necessary for tailgaters to determine how to prevent their items from being stolen or confiscated.
The situation calls for a compromise from both sides. First, tailgaters should try to remove their items within the allotted time (before 7 a.m. the day after the game). Quite simply, if you’re going to tailgate, either don’t leave your items or don’t bring them.
We are not saying that people shouldn’t have fun while tailgating. But undoubtedly, a few tailgaters probably get too inebriated to even remove their items. It’s OK to drink at the ball game as much as you want. Just know the consequences of not removing your items within the allotted time, and realize that when you don’t remove your items, you’re creating more work for someone else.
The facilities management department should also compromise. We believe the allotted time for removing Junction items is not long enough, especially for late football games, when people are incredibly worn out from a long day. Extending the allotted time after 7 a.m. – such as 9 a.m. or, ideally, noon – is not a large request, considering that many people are not on campus on Sundays.
Having public garbage bags at the Junction during games is a commendable idea, but we think it could be improved. Pamphlets or a sign could accompany these bags so that tailgaters can know two things: (1) the allotted time for removing items and (2) the location where the facilities management department stores confiscated items. As current complaints suggest, people aren’t being notified enough about the Junction items policy.
Furthermore, we’ve noticed that some administrative tents, such as those that belong to the Alumni Association, are left up until Sunday afternoon. For the sake of fairness, tailgaters deserve to have more time to remove their items from the Junction. The administration should set a proper example as well.
In sum, we believe this item removal problem can be remedied with compromises from both sides of the issue. These compromises could reduce complaints, encourage more fans to tailgate, make item removal a fair process and make the overall tailgating experience more relaxing.
The Reflector editorial board is made up of opinion editor Matt Watson, news editor Erin Kourkounis, sports editor Melissa Meador, entertainment editor David Breland, photo editor Bud Sorey, online editor C.J. LeMaster, managing editor Nathan Gregory and editor in chief Tyler Stewart.