THE ISSUE: Administrators announced on Friday that cars will no longer be allowed to park on the grass during tailgating before Western football games, citing the cost of lawn repairs as the primary reason.
OUR VIEW: The fact that people want to be a part of the Western game-day atmosphere is a good thing. If Western wants people on campus before games, that means vehicles on the grass, even if it does cost $20,000 to fix the lawns after the season.
Let’s face it, Western’s football season thus far has been nothing to write home about. But when Western does have a game, the scene on the Hill is something that can at least make you look forward to fall Saturdays.
The cornhole, the grills, the beverages, the friends and the cars on the grass are all a part of what makes Saturdays at Western special.
Wait, scratch the last part.
In Western’s attempt to save an estimated $20,000 used to repair grassy areas damaged by vehicles every year, officials are damaging established tailgating traditions.
Western officials need to take a step back and realize that, while the budget is tight and muddy, torn up lawns are not appealing to visitors and others on campus, the fact that people are on campus before games is a good thing and should be encouraged.
Sure, Western has spent nearly $4 million on paved parking lots — some even have unique draining systems — but they’re spread out around campus, leaving no central area where tailgating can happen.
And while Howard Bailey, vice president for Student Affairs, told the Herald last week that tailgating on major campuses is primarily done on hard-surface parking lots, the fact that Western allowed fans to park and tailgate on the grass around campus made Western unique.
Jennifer Tougas, director of Parking and Transportation Services, also expressed concerns that people would be dumping hot coals on the recently re-surfaced parking lot.
The Herald knows that you can still bring your pop-up tent, coolers and cornhole boards to the grassy areas. But it’s quite a hike to get to those areas from any of the parking lots.
What about when coach David Elson leads the team down Avenue of Champions for the Topper Walk? Without the tailgaters lining both sides of the street, what’s the point?
In an attempt to offset the maintenance costs, what if Western charged $5 or $10 a car to park on the grass? Obviously, it wouldn’t cover all the costs but it would at least help offset the price of a valuable Western tradition.
Now, along with lawns being broken after the season, tradition has been broken, too.
And that’s not a good thing when you’re trying to get a program out of park.
This editorial represents the majority opinion of the Herald’s 11-member editorial board.
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Hey, life ain’t fair. Do you want to pay for the lawns and maybe if there is no parking on the lawns, it will lead to more controllable tailgating, that is more of the issue is alcohol at tailgating, more arrests have been made this season than other season.
I love tailgating as much as the next Hilltopper, but what is happening to the lawns is unacceptable. I’ve tailgated at schools with far more epic traditions than WKU and they don’t need to park on lawns to have a good time. Personally, I’ve never parked my vehicle on the grass, yet that has never stopped my ability have a good time. I just lug my cooler across campus, much the same way I might lug a bookbag across campus on a weekday.
Seriously, I think my fellow students are making this a bigger issue than it is.
WHY IS IT THAT WE GO INTO COST OF MAINTAINING THE LAWNS WHEN OUR TEAM SHOOTS OFF MORE THAN 10000 DOLLARS WORTH OF FIREWORKS WHEN WE LOSE….DOES THAT MAKE SENSE……WHAT IS IT SUPPOSED TO MAKE US FEEL BETTER ABOUT DOING SO POORLY. IF YOU WANT PEOPLE TO COME TO GAMES DONT FARK AROUND WITH TIME HONORED TRADITIONS THAT ARE THE SOURCE OF YOUR FAN BASE. ITS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE…..SOMETHINGS GOT TO GIVE
I spent 5 years at WKU while getting two degrees, I’m a second year veterinary student at Auburn University now. I didn’t think the football change and the expenses that came with it were the right thing for WKU at the time but if you’re going to try to play with the “big boys” you’ve got to tailgate with the big boys as well and WKU is absolutely failing miserably at both. About all they’ve done so far is spend money with the big boys (a particular specialty of Ransdell et al). I’m in the heart of the SEC at a major SEC school that knows how to play football. I can tell you if you come to a game at Auburn or go to any of the major SEC schools (where they take football and tailgating seriously) you’re going to see people parked in the grass! If AU has a loosing streak people are still going to come and contribute millions of dollars to the local economy each season because tailgating is fun. However, as I see it WKU fans don’t have cause to get excited about the action on the field and the administration (along with the notoriously over-zealous police in BG) are making it hard to get excited about tailgating so what’s left? I’d stay home and watch a real team play on tv! Now you’re looking for a coach and all you have to offer is an embarrassingly terrible season and an unexcited fan base. Good luck with that.
I don’t see why they can’t just not allow parking on the lawns when they’re wet. If you notice, that’s why the lawns looked like they did. Any time they are dry, we don’t have this problem.
Just charge us to park… yano like “THE WESTERN” does with everything else on this campus. I think it’s stupid your complaining about 20,000 when a measly 4-5 students tuition a semester will pay for the lawns to be re done… as if your not going to re-do them anyways? Lord knows Gary is like a kid in a candy store with an amex and no limit… So stop bitching about 20 grand and eat the money for happy students. Lord knows this campus is boring enough…