Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Beginning in the fall, Mississippi State will require all tailgaters using the Junction--a major campus picnicking and gathering area for football fans--to restrict personal tents to sizes no larger than 12-by-12 feet.
Areas outside the Junction will be set aside to accommodate larger tents, said Jim Jones, chair of the university's Game Day Committee.
Jones, also executive director of facilities, said the committee made recommendations based on accommodating as many tailgaters as possible, while addressing issues related to safety.
"One of our goals is to make the Junction as accessible to as many students as possible and to open as much space as possible for the game day experience," he explained. "Our thought was that 12-by-12-foot and smaller tents are readily available and are an affordable size for most students."
Jones said committee members also considered tent sizes that best could accommodate safety lane requirements implemented for the area last year. The lanes are necessary to permit quick access for law enforcement and emergency personnel, if needed.
Tent rope lengths required to stabilize the larger tents was a critical safety issue in the discussion, Jones observed. "Ropes actually extend the size of the tent and pose potential safety hazards for other tailgaters, especially during evening games," he said.
As a result, tents with ropes will not be allowed in the Junction this fall.
"We want everyone attending fall sporting events to enjoy the game day atmosphere and to have a safe, fun-filled experience," Jones said. "We ask those picnicking in the Junction to consider others and to comply with all game day regulations."
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.