Attendance at tailgate event DevilsGate dropped from the first week to the second, but Duke Student Government is optimistic about the program.
DSG brought the newly revised and rebranded tailgate to campus this year. The event, marketed as DevilsGate, follows several unsuccessful attempts to replace Duke’s original Tailgate, which was banned in 2010 after a 14-year-old was found unconscious in a Porta Potty. More than 800 students welcomed DevilsGate to campus for its inaugural event when Duke faced off against Elon University—compared to the average of 200 students who attended tailgate events last year, said junior Tucker Albert, DSG's vice president for social culture.
But off-campus events and bad weather meant fewer students headed to Wallace Wade Stadium last Saturday when Duke played Kansas University, with approximately250 students attending pre-game festivities.
“I was really happy with the first event, especially compared to how unorganized it was last year,” Albert said. “Although numbers were down for the second game—probably mostly because of the weather—I think students are invested in the model itself."
Albert explained student groups with more than 15 members can sign up for one of 15 tents DSG has purchased, and smaller groups can sign up to share tents.
DevilsGate began the season with 12 tents, but DSG requested the funds for three additional tents after the first home game in order to accommodate growing student interest.
Senior E. J. Baldridge, who headed to Phi Delta Theta's tent before the Kansas game Saturday, said he had a great time at the tailgate.
"It’s still an uphill battle because there’s such a tradition of not going," Baldridge said. "But this is a great option—we loved it. We'll be there again at 10 a.m. this Saturday."
Sophomore Steven Brenner, who went to Wayne Manor's tent before both the Elon and Kansas games, said he is optimistic about DevilsGate but feels it is still a "work in progress." He lives in Crowell, so he said the convenience of DevilsGate is a big part of its appeal.
"It's awesome to have an on-campus tailgating option, but there's definitely a long way to go before the entirety of students choose DevilsGate over off-campus options," Brenner said.
Albert said he hopes to see student attendance increase at DevilsGate and football games this season. His goal is to have 1,000 students gather by the tents outside the stadium, he noted.
"I want it to have the same feel as K-Ville before a Carolina game," Albert said. "I'd love to see the snowball effect, and that more and more students will sign up once they realize this is the model that's here to stay."
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