Tailgating Lot Planned for U Students UPDATED 5/7: Students won't be carded

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I think this is a pretty damn good deal for students, btw. The Victory Lot is right next to the student entrance - where they'd have to be walking anyway. Only a slight detour to get there instead of the stadium, and leave your dorm/house/apartment 1-2 hours earlier and you can have some fun. It makes for a great student atmosphere (hopefully) directly around the stadium so other people walking up (or getting off the train) can see the fun and get in to the vibe as they approach the stadium.

As for logistics.. will they charge entry for people without a car? I know the lot behind 2nd St in downtown used to do that so you wouldn't have a car of 4 pay and then 30 friends walk in for free. I would imagine that diehard kids on campus with cars (of which there are probably a good number) would drive the <1 mile if it meant they could bring their own games and gear for food. The U should pay attention to the amount of space filled in with cars early on. If it is 100%, stay out of it and let the students bring their own stuff. If not, shift some of my ideas from the Superblock to the lot - DJ, grill rental, hotdogs/brats and buns for sale (at cost, basically to not make the students feel 'ripped off'), and some bag toss games for borrow (swipe the student ID of the kid to hold them responsible) to juice the atmosphere. As more kids start coming, pull back and let it handle itself.
 

Slightly off topic but I was reading an article in Citypages about the CC Club on Lyndale getting sold and I remembered that a friend of mine lived a few blocks away from it while he was a student at the U. How common is it for U student to live outside their parents home but still not on campus?

I ask because this is another challenge that towns like Madison, Champaign, and Iowa City don't have. In Madison the only students that lived far from campus were the people who were never gonna leave (i.e. 30 year old granola barista living on the east side and taking four credits at a time).
 

badgergopher said:
Slightly off topic but I was reading an article in Citypages about the CC Club on Lyndale getting sold and I remembered that a friend of mine lived a few blocks away from it while he was a student at the U. How common is it for U student to live outside their parents home but still not on campus?
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A lot more common here. U of M is a big commuter school.
 

But becoming much less common. All those apartments and denser houses having gone up in Dinkytown and SV, the additional dorm, and continued apartment boom are making it so a much higher share of students live near campus.
 

If living in Marcy Holmes, Cedar Riverside, Prospect Park or Como counts as commuting, then the U is a commuter school, otherwise it's not.
 


RailBaronYarr said:
I think this is a pretty damn good deal for students, btw. The Victory Lot is right next to the student entrance - where they'd have to be walking anyway. Only a slight detour to get there instead of the stadium, and leave your dorm/house/apartment 1-2 hours earlier and you can have some fun. It makes for a great student atmosphere (hopefully) directly around the stadium so other people walking up (or getting off the train) can see the fun and get in to the vibe as they approach the stadium.

As for logistics.. will they charge entry for people without a car? I know the lot behind 2nd St in downtown used to do that so you wouldn't have a car of 4 pay and then 30 friends walk in for free. I would imagine that diehard kids on campus with cars (of which there are probably a good number) would drive the <1 mile if it meant they could bring their own games and gear for food. The U should pay attention to the amount of space filled in with cars early on. If it is 100%, stay out of it and let the students bring their own stuff. If not, shift some of my ideas from the Superblock to the lot - DJ, grill rental, hotdogs/brats and buns for sale (at cost, basically to not make the students feel 'ripped off'), and some bag toss games for borrow (swipe the student ID of the kid to hold them responsible) to juice the atmosphere. As more kids start coming, pull back and let it handle itself.
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I could see a few options here:

1. Charge a flat rate for cars and half that price for walk ins since the U could argue they could take up a parking space. A nice round figure could be $10 for cars $5 for walk-ins
2. Increase student tickets by $1-$2 and allow students to park/walk-in for free when they present a student ID.

I don't know how practical these options would be given the cost to run the lot and the "face painting" booths, but I think a similar set up would be great for students since one can assume the kids are strapped for cash. This would be a situation where the U shouldn't expect to make money but rather add value to the overall Gopher Football brand and experience.
 

Yeah I agree, I think the $10/$5 car/walk-up split is fair, but I could see it being 20/5 - that's what we paid in the lot in downtown Minneapolis IIRC. Have to remember that from the U's perspective this lot does have an opportunity cost associated with it, it's pretty close to the stadium - but I agree creating a great atmosphere is more important than the $10,000 per game they might make in parking. Also, this issue of charging.. the snag might be in the AD working with UMN Parking to make a fair deal, as the AD doesn't control the lots.

I think many students would balk at the idea of paying for it when they're already paying $90 for season tickets and a student fee each semester. But keep in mind those are both still great values for a Big Ten football stadium. Maybe if the U provided a party atmosphere in the things like a DJ, etc the students could see value in paying? Maybe as long as they are transparent in what they're doing it will matter less (like charge $1 more per ticket as you suggest and let students know why).
 

Re: commuter school, we still pretty much are compared to other schools in smaller towns, although well over half of our students live on or immediately around campus.

http://www.mndaily.com/2012/02/01/commuter’s-way-life

About 75 percent of University of Minnesota students live off campus. While this theoretically includes any student who lives in non-University provided housing, most students and faculty use this term for those who do not live within walking distance of campus. Of the Big Ten conference, the University of Minnesota has the highest percentage of off-campus students who commute by foot. In a survey conducted by the Council of Undergraduate Deans, 42 percent of students considered themselves to be this type of commuter student.
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That means about two-thirds of our student body lives on campus, or within walking distance (assuming I'm reading the math right - 42% of students walk from off campus + 25% live on campus).
 

They should not charge a cover for people on foot. It's a damn tailgate lot where you park. You charge $20-30 per car, first come first served. If the idea is to get the students more involved, it'd be pathetic to charge a cover to anyone arriving on foot.
 



HouseOfHagen said:
They should not charge a cover for people on foot. It's a damn tailgate lot where you park. You charge $20-30 per car, first come first served. If the idea is to get the students more involved, it'd be pathetic to charge a cover to anyone arriving on foot.
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And asking students to pay $30 to park won't deter people from using the lot??

It's too early to say if you should charge or not because we don't know the details. Is it just going to be a parking lot or will there be music/dj, baggo, food/drinks, etc. A lot of details need to come out. No matter what, it's a step in the right direction for the U!! I'm in favor of building the cost into season ticket prices and just needing a ticket to get in and a small fee to park.
 

pharmacygopher said:
And asking students to pay $30 to park won't deter people from using the lot??

It's too early to say if you should charge or not because we don't know the details. Is it just going to be a parking lot or will there be music/dj, baggo, food/drinks, etc. A lot of details need to come out. No matter what, it's a step in the right direction for the U!! I'm in favor of building the cost into season ticket prices and just needing a ticket to get in and a small fee to park.
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This is not rocket science. The tailgate lots at the Metrodome (pay to park) were full of students because they existed. No such lot has ever existed at TCF. And I really hope they don't cheesedick it up by having a dj or some other lame ass idea mentioned (not specifically your ideas, some of which are good IMO). Give the kids a chance to congregate and party at a central location near TCF and it'll be full.
 

Just got an email from gophersports about the student tailgate lot...

Reserved space season pass - $50, Single game pass - $10... Are they %^&$ing kidding me? How on earth are they going to fill this lot? First of all, students are going to want to get bombed for the game and not going to want to worry about their car afterwards. Second of all, probably only half of the students on campus have a car (maybe even less?). And on top of that students already pay $90 to go to the game? I also thought they weren't carding but I guess not - 21 and older get a wristband upon entrance. Might want to change title of thread.

Am i missing something? This is not going to work.
 




BieberHole69 said:
Just got an email from gophersports about the student tailgate lot...

Reserved space season pass - $50, Single game pass - $10... Are they %^&$ing kidding me? How on earth are they going to fill this lot? First of all, students are going to want to get bombed for the game and not going to want to worry about their car afterwards. Second of all, probably only half of the students on campus have a car (maybe even less?). And on top of that students already pay $90 to go to the game? I also thought they weren't carding but I guess not - 21 and older get a wristband upon entrance. Might want to change title of thread.

Am i missing something? This is not going to work.
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Yeah, I have no idea on how they can expect a group of 4 to get in a car and each chip in $2.50 and have a DD.
 

Unregistered User said:
Oops. Double
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My college pals and I routinely shelled out $20-$30 for a spot near the Metrodome.... and those lots were some of the most fun tailgating I've been a part of.

Unfortunate news about the wristbanding. Hopefully they're not too inquisitive about the liquid contents of unmarked solo cups.
 

Nod and wink wrist banding works almost everywhere. Go to Champaign. The bars are packed with underage kids having fun.
 

Unregistered User said:
Yeah, I have no idea on how they can expect a group of 4 to get in a car and each chip in $2.50 and have a DD.
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Alright bud. Let's say that kids actually get a car in the parking lot and start tailgating. More than half the students wouldn't even be able to consume adult beverages in the lot because of the wristband. Oh by the way, hard alcohol not permitted. Kids drink before the games. It's a social event. They are not going to want to go to this.
 

If they really wanted to make a good atmosphere for the students they would make the lot free and first-come first-served to fill it up extremely early. And not have the wristbands but with some sort of security or police presence close by just in case something gets out of hand. That just makes too much sense to me.
 

As I suggested before, we need to make things as easy as possible for the students.
Wake up calls with a catered breakfast at noon.
Every game has to start at 6 PM.
There has to be a pregame party with free food and beer.
Someone has to pick them up at their front door and drop them off directly in front of the student gate.
It has to be guaranteed that the Gophers will win.
There must be a group of adults available to let them know how wonderful they are every five minutes.
They cannot be even remotely inconvenienced.
 

CP Gopher said:
As I suggested before, we need to make things as easy as possible for the students.
Wake up calls with a catered breakfast at noon.
Every game has to start at 6 PM.
There has to be a pregame party with free food and beer.
Someone has to pick them up at their front door and drop them off directly in front of the student gate.
It has to be guaranteed that the Gophers will win.
There must be a group of adults available to let them know how wonderful they are every five minutes.
They cannot be even remotely inconvenienced.
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either that, or don't demand wristbands. It's a parking lot. not complicated.
 

Any idea how many students actually commute to the U these days? With all of the new apartments being built next to campus, I wouldn't be surprised if that number has dropped significantly. In which case, requiring that students have a car in order to congregate in their tailgate lot is unfortunate. The rules are unfortunate as well. I understand charging to get into the lot, and the prices really aren't terrible for a student rate. But bumping ticket prices by $1 and giving the illusion of a free lot would have been better. The only thing required to get in should be a U Card - that is it.

Yet another case of the U not really understanding part of it's fan base.
 

Actually, after reading over some of the details on TDG, this doesn't look like a terrible deal. Definitely a move in the right direction. The location is certainly awesome, and they have a whole section listed as non-vehicle tailgate. All students are welcome and don't need a ticket to attend, you just need a ticket to buy a pass.

So I take back what I said. This looks good.

http://www.thedailygopher.com/2013/8/19/4636546/new-student-tailgating-lot
 

Believe me - I will eat my own words if this actually works. I hope it works - the students need something like this. I just strongly believe that many students will pass on this option (with its restrictions) and rather go to others parties like on frat row before the games. Oh and then they will show up probably around half way through the first quarter.
 

Gopherdrummer said:
Actually, after reading over some of the details on TDG, this doesn't look like a terrible deal. Definitely a move in the right direction. The location is certainly awesome, and they have a whole section listed as non-vehicle tailgate. All students are welcome and don't need a ticket to attend, you just need a ticket to buy a pass.

So I take back what I said. This looks good.

http://www.thedailygopher.com/2013/8/19/4636546/new-student-tailgating-lot
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to clarify...your last sentence should probably read you need to be a student season ticket holder to purchase a student tailgate lot PARKING pass. i.e. all students are welcome to party in the student tailgate lot regardless if they have/own a car to park in there on game days.

now most of us know that tailgating with a vehicle can make the experience of towing in supplies (food, alcohol, games, chairs, grills, etc.) a bit easier. but not owning a car as a student wouldn't have stopped me from hoofing it in with our stuff if i was a U of M student these days. having a dedicated tailgate space for myself and my fellows undergrads to party before heading into the game would have been reason enough.

cheers and go gophers!
 

CP Gopher said:
As I suggested before, we need to make things as easy as possible for the students.
Wake up calls with a catered breakfast at noon.
Every game has to start at 6 PM.
There has to be a pregame party with free food and beer.
Someone has to pick them up at their front door and drop them off directly in front of the student gate.
It has to be guaranteed that the Gophers will win.
There must be a group of adults available to let them know how wonderful they are every five minutes.
They cannot be even remotely inconvenienced.
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How are they supposed to remember to do all these things without a text reminder every 10 minutes?

My goodness.
 

supadupafly said:
to clarify...your last sentence should probably read you need to be a student season ticket holder to purchase a student tailgate lot PARKING pass. i.e. all students are welcome to party in the student tailgate lot regardless if they have/own a car to park in there on game days.

now most of us know that tailgating with a vehicle can make the experience of towing in supplies (food, alcohol, games, chairs, grills, etc.) a bit easier. but not owning a car as a student wouldn't have stopped me from hoofing it in with our stuff if i was a U of M student these days. having a dedicated tailgate space for myself and my fellows undergrads to party before heading into the game would have been reason enough.

cheers and go gophers!
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Thanks. That is exactly what I meant.
 

If I happen to be an SCSU student.....is there anyway for me to sneak into this lot. Nevermind.....silly question.

The Oak Street Ramp is usually pretty quiet. :(
 

station19 said:
How are they supposed to remember to do all these things without a text reminder every 10 minutes?

My goodness.
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My bad...We also need to provide them with video game stations....and an escalator inside the student entrance.
 

They brought vehicles to the Some lots. No reason to expect they can't drive them to TCF if they want to tailgate vs. house party.
 

Student tickets are $90 per game?
 

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