Tickets for tailgating?

The IU Athletics Department is striving for a remarkably admirable goal this year: greater student attendance at home football games. After all, crowds win games. But, alas, the department has taken a step in the wrong direction.\nA new rule for the official tailgating areas surrounding Memorial Stadium states fans must have tickets to remain on parking lot grounds to continue tailgating festivities ten minutes after kickoff. Fortunately, before last Saturday's game against Nicholls State, some authority thought enough to stave off any attempt to sweep out non-ticket holders during the first football game, and the policy was not enforced. \nHowever, if the policy is enforced in the future, students fearing removal from campus grounds during a game might not attend the games at all -- reducing the groundswell of support football coach Terry Hoeppner so desperately desires. The policy is a counterproductive strategy to boost game attendance.\nThe new rule is attempting to persuade students to purchase tickets and head into the game when it begins. The intent seems fine, but a real solution doesn't involve security personnel. \nDoes the athletics department want students at games? Sure it does. OK, then, it should try winning. It's trite to fall back on the old axiom that wins bring students, especially if students help bring wins. Unfortunately, trite doesn't amount to much if students aren't going to football games. \nIU should let coach Hoeppner, not a rules subcommittee, deal with marketing the football team. \nEnforcing the new rule would require a huge investment in manpower to sweep out targeted tailgaters. It would be unsafe for anyone -- local law enforcement or otherwise -- to attempt. Last year a Bloomington Police Department detective had a bottle smashed over his head at a party near the stadium. We fear a repeat of such potentially life-threatening situations if the police habitually start telling tailgaters without tickets to head home. \nThus, we expect the policy to remain unenforced, if for no other rationale than practicality. \nThe bulk of the football season is in front of us. The University should not enforce this rule if it expects respect from students. Students are already footing $30 each semester to float the athletics department's debt. At that price, it shouldn't matter if they choose to throw a football around or play beer pong during Saturday afternoons, rather than get a sunburn sitting on steel bleachers. \nWe don't advocate skipping games. But if the University chooses to enforce this rule, it can expect negative student reaction and consequently a bigger debt burden for the already strapped athletics department. More importantly, this rule will only serve to aggravate potential fans.