Spot on.
I really don't want to spend all week on this topic, but if the city is the main problem then the U needs to lean on the city in the court of public opinion.
Call their bluff and get them to allow tailgating everywherein private lots/loosen up restrictions on parties/open containers, etc.
My bet is the U's upper administration is lock step with the city and that's why there have been no changes made.
There is no reason the U of MN should have to bow down to Minneapolis. Maybe they should contact St. Paul and see if they could be annexed. The U is an autonomous entity right? Why does the city have control of campus?
Again, I think the administration is behind much of the wet blanket, but if not a simple guerrilla campaign in the media would be sufficient to move Minneapolis.
You want to know who makes the decisions about tailgating on private property around the U and the temporary closing of University Avenue for the marching band? Here they are. All zoning decisions and street closings start with the people who run these groups. They will NOT happen without their support. The politicians who represent these areas will NEVER go against the desires of the neighborhood groups and the U will NEVER fight the politicians. End of story.
Official Neighborhoods in the University Community
Marcy-Holmes
Marcy-Holmes is the first neighborhood of Minneapolis. It is named for William L. Marcy and Oliver Wendell Holmes. Its boundaries are the Mississippi River, the University of Minnesota, the East Hennepin/Central Avenue commercial area, and the Como Neighborhood. It is home to the famous commercial district, Dinkytown. It also provides housing for students at the University of Minnesota. Marcy-Holmes is entirely within Minneapolis' and it is currently represented by Diane Hofstede on the Minneapolis City Council.
Prospect Park
Prospect Park is an historic neighborhood within the University community of the U.S. city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The area is bounded by the Mississippi River to the south, the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota to the east, the Burlington Northern railroad yard to the north, and the Stadium Village commercial district of the University of Minnesota to the west. The neighborhood is composed of several districts which include the East River Road area and it is currently represented by Cam Gordon on the Minneapolis City Council.
University
University is a neighborhood within the greater University community in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is almost completely occupied by the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota, hence the name. The Mississippi River divides it into two, making it the only official neighborhood in Minneapolis that occupies both sides of the river. On the west bank, the neighborhood is bound by 1st Street on the north, 19th Avenue on the west, 4th Street on the south, and the river to the east. On the east bank, it is bound by the river to the west and south and Oak Street to the east; the northern boundary, going from west to east, is along 11th Avenue, University Avenue, 15th Avenue, and the railroad tracks near 8th Street. It is currently represented by Cam Gordon on the Minneapolis City Council.
