Kelly Parsley, MA Carroll College [email protected] Ashley Breding, BA Carroll College [email protected].

ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGIES TO COMBAT THE DANGERS OF

TAILGATE PARTIES

Kelly Parsley, MACarroll [email protected]

Ashley Breding, BACarroll [email protected]

AGENDA

Introductions/Definitions Why no one talks about this Why we must talk about this Unsafe/Illegal Tailgate Policies Safer Options Safest Options Make your Tailgate Event Safer

TAILGATING:

Is defined as“a social gathering that occurs prior to football games in the parking lot outside the stadium. Participation in tailgating often includes grilling food and may or may not involve the consumption of alcohol.”

--Neighbors,Clayton et. al.

WHY NO ONE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT THIS: People like the “family-ness” of the

event People like the image of happy

students doing what we did People like happy alumni People (school and community) like the

cash flow People like to focus on individual; not

the institution

WHY WE MUST TALK ABOUT IT!

Trouble with tailgating can also mean

cash flow OUT Lower Attendance at Event Lower Retention Lower Recruitment Legal Issues Security/Safety Issues Costs of Second-Hand Drinking

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT TAILGATING

There is very little research on tailgating

No best practices or even promising practices

We must talk about it We must create campus/community

partnerships to explore what will work best in each community

NOTE:

“No published research to date has specifically examined the prevalence of alcohol consumption during tailgating at college football games. Indirect evidence, however, suggest that tailgating is associated with heavy drinking…”

--Neighbors, Clayton et. al. March 2006

WHAT WE DID

We reviewed 22 college tailgate polices

We reviewed the literature from over 20 agencies committed to learning more about college drinking.

COLLEGE TAILGATE POLICIES

Hanover College Appalachian State University Montana State University Montana College of Technology University of Colorado, Boulder University of Iowa University of Rhode Island University of Montana University of Montana—

Western University of Minnesota Springfield College

Catawba College Wesley College University of Arizona Harvard University Boston College Bates College North Dakota State University Illinois State Tailgating Policy Louisiana State University Penn State University

RESOURCES REVIEWED

A Matter of Degree: The National Effort to Reduce High-Risk Drinking Among College Studentshttp://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/3558.html (no information on tailgating)

American College Health Association; (No information on tailgating) American Athletic Institution Bacchus and Gamma Peer Education Network

http://www.bacchugamma.org Case Histories in Reducing High-Risk Drinking Among College

Students http://www.alcoholpolicymd.com/alcohol_and_health/college_drinking.htm

Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TVhttp://cspinet.org/booze/CAFST/ College Alcohol Study http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/ Core Institute http://www.siu.edu/~coreinst/ Environmental Policies to Reduce College Drinking: Options and

Research Findings. Toomey, T. Wagenaar, A. Journal of Studies on Alcohol Supplement 63.2 (March 2002) pp 193-213.

Environmental management: A comprehensive strategy for reducing alcohol and other drug use on college campuses .http://www.higheredcenter.org/framework/

ERIC. www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/recordDetail?accno=EJ781756 Event and Context-Specific Normative Misconceptions and High Risk-

Drinking: 21st Birthday Celebrations and Tailgating. Neighbors, C., Oster-Aaland, L. Bergstrom, R., and Lewis, M. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 76.2 (March 2006) pp 282-88

Facts on Taphttp://www.factsontap.org/ Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study. (No

information on tailgating)

Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention http://www.edc.org/hec/ (No information on tailgating)

Impact of a Tailgating Policy on Students’ Drinking Behavior and Perceptions. Oster-Aaland, L.K., Neighbors, C. Journal of American College Health 56.3. pp 281-85.

The Inter-Association Task Force on Alcohol and Other Substance Abuse Issues http://iatf.org/

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s Task Force on College Drinking http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov

National Inter-fraternity Conferencehttp://www.nicindy.org Party Behaviors and Characteristics and Serial Drunkenness among

College Students. DuRant, R. McCoy, T., Champion, H., Parries, M. et.al. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 69.1 (Jan 2008) pp 91-99.

Penn State Tailgating Causes some Headaches for Police. The Centre Daily Times. Nov. 13, 2009. www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/11/penn_state_tailgating.html.

Promising Practices: Campus Alcohol Strategies http://www.promprac.gmu.edu

Tailgating to the Extreme Comes with Consequences Michel L., Warner, G. The Buffalo News. April 13, 2010. www.buffalonews.com/2009/10/17/83-936/tailgating

What Colleges Need to Know Now: An Update on College Drinking Research. US DHHS.NIH Publication No. 07-5010 November 2007.

UNCLEAR/UNSAFE TAILGATE POLICIES

Have no tailgate policy Have no security patrolling the tailgate

area Have security with no authority to

arrest patrolling tailgate areas Have a policy that suggests the need

for a designated driver

SAFER TAILGATE POLICY OPTIONSA. Improve Education

B. Outline Consequences

C. Limit the Environment

D. Change the Environment

E. Change the Institution

SAFER TAILGATE POLICY OPTIONS

A. Improve Education

Attach to policy: “Tailgating participants must adhere to all state and local laws.”

Attach a flier containing all pertinent local, state,

and federal laws.

Improve education of students about policies via campus venues

SAFER TAILGATE POLICY OPTIONS

B. Outline Consequences Add to policy: Clearly outlined consequences for first, second, and third

violations.   Create a “Fan Behavior Policy” prohibiting unruly, drunken behaviors.   Add to policy: “Tailgate permit holders are responsible for all conduct

within their tailgate area.”

Add to policy: “Two strikes” language for alcohol-related violations.

Add to policy: “Permit holders must have a signed ‘Acknowledgment of Policy’ on file with the athletic department.”

Community must be willing to hold people to these consequences—especially early in the term!

SAFER TAILGATE POLICY OPTIONS

C. Limit the EnvironmentLimit Tailgate AreaLimit Tailgate Entrance and ExitLimit Tailgate TimesLimit Alcohol SalesLimit Alcohol Options

SAFER TAILGATE POLICY OPTIONS

D. Change the Environment Offer activities that are an alternative to drinking.

Ensure that if a person wants to avoid drinking that they will not have to witness drinking by having to walk through the tailgate area.

  Create a policy prohibiting drinking games and other potentially

dangerous drinking activities (e.g., shot gunning).

Prohibit alcohol consumption in tail gate areas.

Hire trained law enforcement rather than security.  Add to policy: “Signage in tailgate areas may not include any

information with regard to alcohol.”

SAFER TAILGATE POLICY OPTIONS

E. Change the Institution Institute a one-year ban on alcohol and tailgating to gain

time to gather evidence and to study workable solutions.

Create a Tailgate Advisory Committee of key stakeholders, community members, students, law enforcement, campus administrators, and students.

Create, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive program to address tailgate issues.

Create and enforce a Social Host Ordinance.

SAFEST TAILGATING OPTIONS

Make tailgating illegal within a community.

Make drinking at tailgate parties illegal. Host tailgating off school property.

Strongly enforce all tailgate policies, rules, and consequences—especially early on in the semester!

HOW TO CREATE A SAFER TAILGATE EVENT

Pick one idea you would you like to implement to create a safer

tailgate event

ResourcesNeeds

Baseline DataStakeholders

GOAL SETTING WORKSHEETRESOURCES you have to make this happen:

Things you NEED to make this happen:

STAKEHOLDERS who can

help make this happen:

OBJECTIVE(activity) to help make

this happen:

A safer pre-game experience for our communi

ty

Baseline data?

Put an * by those not already “on board”

GOAL SETTING WORKSHEET

Law enforcement commitment to campus safety

Campus staff

Student Gov.’t

Local prevention agency support for research

RESOURCES you have to make this happen: Money for

fliers and staff

Time at faculty meetings

Local preventionagencies keeping this on their work plans

DUI Taskforce support

Things you NEED to make this happen:

STAKEHOLDERS who can

help make this happen:

OBJECTIVE(activity) to help make

this happen:

A safer pre-game experience for our communi

ty

Baseline Data?Tailgate arrests

Shorter tailgate hours

(maybe 11 am until

the end of ½ time)

College President

Law Enforcement

Faculty*

Student Leaders

Local Prevention AgenciesPut an * by those not already “on board”