In reaction to unruly behavior on the Lawn before the Wake Forest football game, University administrators in conjunction with the Lawn resident advisor have decided to prohibit Lawn tailgates before next week's Virginia Tech football game. Whether future tailgates will take place on the Lawn is yet to be determined.
The morning of the Nov. 3 Wake Forest game, there was "disorder" on the Lawn that included young men throwing and breaking chairs, which required police attention, according to University spokesperson Carol Wood.
"The safety concerns were with the fighting, the drinking to the point of rescue and residents leaving their rooms in the hands of others ... it was evident that the parties were not being controlled," Wood said.
This lack of control led Pat Lampkin, vice president for student affairs, Interim Dean of Students Allen Groves, Residence Life Area Coordinator Rebekah Starkenburg and Lawn Resident Adviser Missy Jenkins to meet this past week to discuss the future of tailgating on the Lawn. They jointly decided to deny any reception requests that are made for the day of the Virginia Tech football game.
Since Lawn residents must request permission from the Lawn RA in order to have receptions or tailgate parties, this effectively prohibits any parties that extend outside the boundaries of a Lawn room.
Lawn residents will meet Sunday to determine the future of receptions and tailgates for future events including Lighting of the Lawn and next year's football games, according to Jenkins. The goal of Sunday's conversation will be to discuss ways "to bring stewardship back into our own hands [so] that we can figure out a way to have receptions and tailgates within a controlled environment that do not result in the disruptive behavior that took place before the Wake Forest game," Jenkins said.
Even though the disruptive events took place on the Lawn, Lawn residents want to point out that this is not a burden to be placed entirely on their shoulders.
"This is a problem that the Lawm community and the community at large needs to address," Lawn Resident Pat Cronin said. "That was the trouble of a few people and there is a responsibility that comes with the privilege [of being able to tailgate on the Lawn]. ... The physical violence and the drunk behavior is unacceptable. Period."
Any tailgating that happens on the Lawn before the Tech game will be met with appropriate resistance that will include increased presence of police officers, administrators and deans, according to Jenkins, who added that "this is not an empty stipulation"
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