OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi gameday committee voted unanimously Tuesday not to charge fees for tailgating during the upcoming 2010 Ole Miss football season.<\/p>\n
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The committee, which includes representatives from several campus departments, decided not to charge tent fees in the Grove, despite several social media claims to the contrary. The committee, however, did stipulate that tailgaters are not allowed to set up tents anywhere on campus before 10 p.m. Fridays.<\/p>\n
“We are striving to improve the overall gameday experience for all of our devoted fans,” said Andrew Mullins, chair of the gameday committee and executive assistant to Chancellor Dan Jones. “The gameday committee agreed unanimously not to charge fees for tents, but they also stated that we must preserve campus for its core mission of academics.”<\/p>\n
During the 2009 football season, the UM Faculty Senate passed a resolution to protect against academic disruptions by strictly enforcing the tent embargo. The gameday committee decided to renew and expand the resolution for the upcoming season by restricting tent setups until 10 p.m., Mullins said.<\/p>\n
“People who come to campus during the academic day solely to set up a tent for tailgating interfere with the university’s goal of providing a quality academic environment for our students,” Mullins said. “It interrupts the academic day when they violate these rules.”<\/p>\n
The measure will be strictly enforced, and tents that violate the 10 p.m. restriction will be removed. Vehicles transporting tents to campus also must adhere to the 10 p.m. rule, Mullins said.<\/p>\n
“The early automobiles carrying tents and picnic paraphernalia also interfere with our normal academic day,” Mullins said. “Parking trucks with trailers or setting up tents before the designated times is unacceptable.”<\/p>\n
The 10 p.m. timeline is consistent with a recommendation from campus police officials. The measure will reduce officer fatigue on actual game days and help reduce overtime pay for extra officers to patrol beforehand, said Calvin Sellers, director of University Police Department.<\/p>\n
Faculty, staff and students are urged to assist with the 10 p.m. enforcement by reporting violations. Community eyes and voices are integral tools in helping to promote a greater gameday experience for all fans, Sellers said. To report violations, call 662-915-7234.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi gameday committee voted unanimously Tuesday not to charge fees for tailgating during the upcoming 2010 Ole Miss football season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[222],"tags":[345],"yoast_head":"\n