Marketing senior Joel Caballero tailgates in Tempe with friends before the 2011 football season opener against UC Davis. (Photo by Lillian Reid)In the first weekend home football game since kegs and drinking games were banned at tailgates, students and Sun Devil fans should not expect to see an increased police presence, but should be aware of new drinking regulations that are in place.
ASU officials voted to ban kegs and drinking games from tailgates in spring, and the ban has been in place for the first two home games of the season, said Sgt. Daniel Macias, a spokesperson for the ASU Police Department.
Macias said a student safety task force recommended the ban, which is in place to discourage binge drinking. Without the temptation that kegs and drinking games can bring, Macias said officials hope fans enjoy tailgating responsibly.
“So far, enforcement has not really been a problem,” Macias said. “People understand the ban and have obeyed the rule.”
ASU Police, Parking and Transit staff and private security workers hired for the game will all be involved be looking for beer bongs, kegs and games like beer pong.
While East Valley law enforcement agencies were part of the task force that proposed the ban, Tempe Police Department spokesperson Lt. Michael Pooley said enforcement has been left to ASU police, as Tempe police do not patrol the area in question.
Macias said if staff members see a group drinking from a keg, playing beer pong or using a beer bong, they will first just tell them to stop.
“After being told, if they don’t stop, then the person will call police,” Macias said. “Police will then tell them to stop, and if they fail to stop, they can be charged with trespassing, because they are breaking a rule that allows them to be there.”
The group’s tailgating privileges can also be revoked for the remainder of the season if they are caught breaking the rule, Macias said.
Using beer bongs or playing drinking games is not an actual crime if a person is old enough to drink, but by participating in these activities, a person would be breaking the rules that allow them to tailgate on campus.
“There is no alcohol allowed on campus at all,” Macias said. “So the university president can make an exemption for a certain area and a certain time when it will be allowed. If a person breaks the rules allowing the alcohol, they are no longer allowed to be on the campus.”
Mechanical engineering sophomore Eden Shuster said he believed banning drinking games seemed a little extreme, but agreed that tailgates needed stricter enforcement.
“I think that we need to focus on underage drinking, but I don’t see a problem if a person is old enough to drink,” Shuster said.
However, Macias said ASU’s rule coincided with those at many other universities, including those in Arizona, which are designated to keep fans safe before and during games.
“For the most part, people understand the rationale and reasoning behind the ban,” Macias said. “We want people to have a good time at the game, but we also want them to be responsible.”
Reach the reporter at cvanek@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @CorinaVanek
