Nadine Babu STrib Blog: Why Don't The Students Like TCF Bank Stadium?

[BleedGopher]

Norwood Teague chimes in after reading Nadine's blog: "@GoldenGopherAD: @Dave_MN Very good ideas by Nadine. We absolutely need to take a look at all of them! Extremely insightful. #Gophers"

Go Gophers!!

 

[akgopher]

How many of the 21% who live near campus probably account for mostly freshman and sophomores? There are more apartment buildings, but did it really take the situation from the the worst, to just bad? I lived in a horrible duplex about 4 block from Dinkeytown in front of the old Bunge grain elevator for 4 months. I remember plaster falling off the ceilings and my clothes being all chalky because of it. Just walk around Dinkeytown on a Thur/Fri/Sat and compare it to other campuses. I lived down there, it was DEAD!

 

[Mulligan]

some of you for personal or moral reasons may not want it to be true. you may not want alcohol and partying and the ability to truly tailgate like the rest of us to be a primary reason why students do what they do and go where they go. but it is what it is. no amount of social engineering by the U of M and policy makers, or hang-wringing by nosy adults, is going to change that fact about students. it is the same at virtually every major campus in the united states. kids want to party and they want to blow off some steam. they want to be where the party is at and people are blowing off steam. frankly most adults do to.

the U would be wise to simply back off to some degree on the amount of ordinances and regulations they have related to alcohol on and around campus. give the kids proper space and proximity to the stadium and the ability to make it a party of their own. then just f-ing back off already and let it grow and evolve into its own thing. its own tradition and experience.

And no amount of juvenile, asinine ranting is going to make the adults in charge set up a policy and place where under-age students are allowed or encouraged to get drunk just so they can put a few thousand more asses in the seats which is what you and several others seem to want. Can't believe you're even remotely serious about this. Ya, kids get drunk. It's a fact of life. It's also a fact of life no college administrator is going to condone or encourage it with the legal age being 21; the real concern about binge drinking; and the problem of drunk driving and the legal ramifications. You can bitch about the adults all you want, but there's another world outside of your bubble.

no kidding. yes, let's tear up even more tailgating space near the stadium and build redundant research facilities on them that will likely sit half-empty for the next 15 years and can't operate without nearly 90% tax payer subsidies.

And now an even sillier rant. Are you actually seriously stating that a major research university should plan their facilities giving priority to making sure football fans have a place to tailgate six or seven times a year? You do realize what constitutes a university and what people are primarily there for, right?

Without a doubt, the University needs to do different things to get more fans, especially students, into the games. However, unless Kill can deliver a winner, whatever they do is going to have a limited effect. It's the old chicken or the egg in another form. Hard to deliver a winner without the fan support and the atmosphere, but it's hard to build the fan support and the atmosphere if you ain't winning. I think Kill's capable of doing it. I just hope he gets enough time.

 

[supadupafly]

And no amount of juvenile, asinine ranting is going to make the adults in charge set up a policy and place where under-age students are allowed or encouraged to get drunk just so they can put a few thousand more asses in the seats which is what you and several others seem to want. Can't believe you're even remotely serious about this. Ya, kids get drunk. It's a fact of life. It's also a fact of life no college administrator is going to condone or encourage it with the legal age being 21; the real concern about binge drinking; and the problem of drunk driving and the legal ramifications. You can bitch about the adults all you want, but there's another world outside of your bubble.



And now an even sillier rant. Are you actually seriously stating that a major research university should plan their facilities giving priority to making sure football fans have a place to tailgate six or seven times a year? You do realize what constitutes a university and what people are primarily there for, right?

Without a doubt, the University needs to do different things to get more fans, especially students, into the games. However, unless Kill can deliver a winner, whatever they do is going to have a limited effect. It's the old chicken or the egg in another form. Hard to deliver a winner without the fan support and the atmosphere, but it's hard to build the fan support and the atmosphere if you ain't winning. I think Kill's capable of doing it. I just hope he gets enough time.

wow! you are an asinine fool who completely misrepresented and cherry picked what i said. no where in my post did i say anything about condoning under 21 drinking. point out where i said that. oh that is right....you can't.

on the second point. you once again cherry picked and totally misrepresented what i said. i didn't say those research buildings should not be there at all. i simply asked the question if they needed to completely get rid of in entirety two rather large tailgating/parking lots that were literally right outside the stadium. could there not have been some space left for tailgating and/or parking for university athletic events. whether it be football, hockey, basketball, etc.

 

[Prado89]

How many of the 21% who live near campus probably account for mostly freshman and sophomores? There are more apartment buildings, but did it really take the situation from the the worst, to just bad? I lived in a horrible duplex about 4 block from Dinkeytown in front of the old Bunge grain elevator for 4 months. I remember plaster falling off the ceilings and my clothes being all chalky because of it. Just walk around Dinkeytown on a Thur/Fri/Sat and compare it to other campuses. I lived down there, it was DEAD!

If students are not living in these new apt. buildings, no one is going to build them.

The better question to ask is " What is on campus/ near campus housing?"
If you're taking about those who live between St.Anthony and St.Paul campus it must be around 70%. If you're counting those who live in Uni run housing it must be around 21%. The U is relatively big school even for Big Ten standard.
The quality of housing absolutely depends on how much you want to spend. I know someone who is willing to pay around 1,000 month. I also have a friend who won't spend no more than 400 dollars. Sh*tty or Fancy. It is your choice.

What about Grad. Students and International Students? If the U is going to accept more Grad Students and International Students, why should they ignore these people. Shouldn't the U football be one of the best ways to create ever lasting memories for those who came from other countries? I know a few International students who like football, because they found someone who is willing to explain to them. I still don't *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#ing get it why the U decided to ignore this particular group. Is there any research that concluded International students and Grad students don't like football or basketball? It is all about integration! Get creative people! It is not freaking rocket science.
Get a clue from a niche school called Rice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSWj2rI_tbk

 

[holereader]

how many live at home with their parents?

 

[dpodoll68]

build redundant research facilities on them that will likely sit half-empty for the next 15 years and can't operate without nearly 90% tax payer subsidies.

WTF? Seriously, wtf. Please stick to commenting on things about which you have at least some semblance of a clue. Thanks.

 

[Ole]

And no amount of juvenile, asinine ranting is going to make the adults in charge set up a policy and place where under-age students are allowed or encouraged to get drunk just so they can put a few thousand more asses in the seats which is what you and several others seem to want. Can't believe you're even remotely serious about this. Ya, kids get drunk. It's a fact of life. It's also a fact of life no college administrator is going to condone or encourage it with the legal age being 21; the real concern about binge drinking; and the problem of drunk driving and the legal ramifications. You can bitch about the adults all you want, but there's another world outside of your bubble.



And now an even sillier rant. Are you actually seriously stating that a major research university should plan their facilities giving priority to making sure football fans have a place to tailgate six or seven times a year? You do realize what constitutes a university and what people are primarily there for, right?

Without a doubt, the University needs to do different things to get more fans, especially students, into the games. However, unless Kill can deliver a winner, whatever they do is going to have a limited effect. It's the old chicken or the egg in another form. Hard to deliver a winner without the fan support and the atmosphere, but it's hard to build the fan support and the atmosphere if you ain't winning. I think Kill's capable of doing it. I just hope he gets enough time.

The university doesn't need to condone or encourage anything.
Simply allow for the gameday to grow organically. If it gets out of control, then put restrictions on it.
The U from day 1 of the new stadium has looked upon alcohol and partying as taboo.
It's stupid. Nowhere else in the country does the university cut off it's nose to spite itself like this. Not at wisconsin, not at USC, nowhere.
They let the city of Minneapolis and the prudes in the "neighborhoods" surrounding the stadium set their policies.

Kids were willing to go to the dome and party, i was at the 08' Iowa game november, cold as hell, last game in the dome, etc. Parking lots were packed and more festive than all but maybe 3 gophers games since. BECAUSE the students could party there un-harassed.

And save your binge drinking concerns for someone who's got their head in the sand. Kids in college drink. It happens. It always has, it always will.

 

[disco]

It's stupid. Nowhere else in the country does the university cut off it's nose to spite itself like this. Not at wisconsin, not at USC, nowhere.

Correct.

This isn't hard people. IF the U wants to create a better gameday atmosphere to attract students, all they need to do is visit 15-20 major schools (hint - the SEC) that DO have good atmospheres and see not only what formal things they do, but also what they turn a blind eye to and allow.

Winning alone isn't going to create a must-do experience. Schools like Ole Miss don't win, but you can bet that their fans make a big deal about game day. People plan their whole weekends around the party surrounding college football.

 

[mplsbadger]

Correct.

This isn't hard people. IF the U wants to create a better gameday atmosphere to attract students, all they need to do is visit 15-20 major schools (hint - the SEC) that DO have good atmospheres and see not only what formal things they do, but also what they turn a blind eye to and allow.

Winning alone isn't going to create a must-do experience. Schools like Ole Miss don't win, but you can bet that their fans make a big deal about game day. People plan their whole weekends around the party surrounding college football.

It would be great to see a regression analysis that measures dependent variables, attendance & student attendance, against independent variables current winning %, historical winning %, last year's attendance, population of home city, proximity of NFL team, proximity of nearest D1 team, # of students living on campus, average ticket price, availability of tailgating, alcohol served on premise, alcohol allowed on private lots, ...

Who has a lot of time on their hands?

 

[.576]

My only other schools to compare to are Wisconsin and Iowa back when I was a student in the 90s. I think the difference i observe between Minnesota and Wisconsin is that the Wisconsin Game day experience is much more organic than Minnesota's. At Wisconsin there is no proscribed tailgate lot that I had ever used, there maybe one who knows. Rather there are the Unions, which have beer gardens that students can be in ( drink or not drink) without getting hassled; private houses that have people grilling out at the sidewalk, tossing the football, and drinking without getting hassled by the authorities; the State Street scene where business got involved, and I also don't recall long lines where you got frisked and hassled to get into the stadium by the authorities ( but maybe that has changed).

At Minnesota everything seems to be an attempt to proscribe and institutionalize everything. The beer garden in the sterile Alumni Center has no appeal, I would rather go to Sallies if I am going to buy beer. At the tailgate lots there are half a dozen cops at every corner, who in my experience have always been helpful and pretty cool. However in the dozen games I have tailgated at, I have never seen any fights, or problems break out where such an overt police presence in required. Police are needed, and I think you can say that that presence has probably been effective in reducing events, but it also doesn't make for a very festive environment especially for a 19 year old who may have just snuck a beer. I think the University needs to relax a bit about game day.

There was also the apt observation earlier that the environment for 65year old booster isn't exactly the same as for students or even those of us entering middle age looking to re-live a bit of our youth. Invariably at almost every game there is the 65 year old couple in the Caddy who shows up driving through the tailgate lot 45mins before game time creeping their car through the crowds like a Sherman tank looking for a parking spot. These are the same people who if you dare to stand up on 3rd down to cheer scowl at you and ask you to sit down, and not yell so loud. I think some of the old timers need to literally relax a bit during game day.

I also don't want to let the students off. when I was in school during the Wacker days, my friends and I got our asses down to the Metrodome. It is embarrassing that students are not showing up. If the student tickets can't be sold, open them up for general admission to the public until there is student demand. Hopefully with a better program will help solve some problems. But I am pretty sure juvenile carnival schemes like face painting, free soda and hot dogs, and marching bands are not the cure. Maybe we start treating the young adults like, adults and not worry so much that they may be in the presence of an open beer.


If I could offer a final suggestion to get more students involved. I think it would help if the University partnered with their best student asset, Frat row. Sitting there are students who probably have the best game day spirt, and location. Most of the houses now have pretty strict alcohol policies, so I don't think there is much worry about some Animal House scene. When I was there the Houses built crazy expensive and time consuming house fronts for homecoming. That was a tradition that I had never seen anywhere else, and could have been built on.