When rowdy students filled the Blue Zone Saturday morning in preparation for the football team's home opener, more was on the line than just the outcome of the game.
"Give me tailgates or give me death," said junior Mike Hadlow, aptly summing up many students' devotion to the pre-game ritual.
Participants' adherence, or lack thereof, to the new tailgate policies set out by administrators last week would determine whether or not the event would be allowed to continue for the rest of the season, tailgate monitors said. Under the new rules tailgates must end at kickoff. Glass containers, funnels, kegs and drinking games are still prohibited.
While the usual revelry that marks Duke tailgates was in full swing all morning, monitors began announcing the time at 10 minutes before kickoff. Promptly at noon they formed a solid line of bright green and marched from the back of the lot, herding the remaining crowd toward the stadium. By 12:10 p.m. the lot was emptied.
"I was very pleased with the way the students handled the situation," said Sue Wasiolek, assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students, who attended the tailgate as a monitor herself. "I think we'll be having another tailgate next week."
During the first quarter of the game the student section of Wallace Wade Stadium was nearly full and monitors deemed the new system of regulation a success.
Sporting bright green T-shirts bearing the slogan "Don't fumble the tradition," student leaders wielded bullhorns and patrolled the Blue Zone as they tried to keep students' behavior within the new rules. In addition to ensuring the event ended when the football game started, their duty was to deter any of the dangerous behavior that marked the last tailgate of the 2004 season.
"Heading into the tailgate, sure we would probably rather be going solely to hang out with our friends," said senior Jesse Longoria, president of Duke Student Government. "But there was the understanding that we had to take on the monitoring role to ensure that tailgating would continue to exist in a form which students enjoy, while maintaining safety."
Facing the threat of the end of tailgate, leaders from Duke's greek, athletic and other campus organizations volunteered their time Saturday. Meanwhile, administrators assisted by distributing free bottles of water and food.
While the presence of administrators may have prevented last year's disturbances from reoccurring, much of the tailgate tradition remained. SUVs crowded the parking lot with their trunks popped open to serve and seat students. Several shirtless fraternity brothers danced on the hoods. Scattered cans and boxes covered the ground, and the asphalt was sticky with the beer that did not get sprayed or poured on unsuspecting bystanders.
Some students expressed frustration at the regulation of yet another social outlet. "It's not like it used to be. It's different, there's a lot more patrolling. We want to do a lot of things that you're not allowed to do," senior Tom Musgrave said. "But it's still phenomenal."
The majority of students, however, managed to enjoy themselves within the bounds of the new regulations. Sophomore Dan Coral-christened by his fellow fraternity members as "Furious George"-took a moment to reflect on the morning in his oversized monkey suit.
"I don't think much has changed. Everybody is having fun, trying to attract as much attention as possible," he said.
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