Alcohol-free tailgates gain attention of UT students

Alcohol-free tailgating is the name of the game of the game for a growing number of UT students on Rocket game days.

After changing departments last year, the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs program is now offered through the counseling center as an alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention program. One of the many activities ATOD provides is alcohol-free tailgating in the flatlands by the UT spirit rock before every home football game.

Will Pecsok, associate director of the counseling center, said the alcohol-free tailgates are offered to “provide an environment for people where they can spend some time, tailgate and not have to be around alcohol.”

“What we do is have a space that provides an alternative for people to come to,” Pecsok said. “We want to prevent the alcohol use on campus, so we make this space so that people do not have to run into that.”

According to Pecsok, students should be able to enjoy themselves on game days, but alcohol should not necessarily be a part of it.

“It is almost like an acceptable sort of thing, but it can be very dangerous,” he said.

Stanley Edwards, the director of the counseling center, said he believes the alcohol-free tailgates are a great idea and are a great place for students.

“It is important for students to be able to go somewhere where they feel comfortable,” Edwards said. “And that is what we can provide for them.”

Edwards said they also use the tailgates to help teach students about the dangers of alcohol and also to help spread the message about their prevention programs.

“We provide free things like T-shirts and megaphones, but we encourage everyone to first participate in one of the activities we have,” Edwards said. “We have beer goggles that simulate different levels of blood alcohol content. With these mock sobriety tests we can give people an idea of how intoxicated they are.”

Robert Brumfield, a first-year film major, said he thinks the alcohol-free tailgates are a good chance for people to be responsible.

“When people go into the games drunk it gets pretty crazy,” Brumfield said. “Some people just get a little too riled up and I do not think that you should be super wasted going into the game.”

The alcohol-free tailgates are not popular among all students, however.

“It does not make sense for them to be alcohol-free,” said Erin Bell, a first-year film major. “It is a tradition for people to bring alcohol. If you do not feel safe around the alcohol then do not go around the alcohol. There is always that one portion that does not have alcohol.”

The counseling center offers many services such as one-on-one counseling, outreach services to the Toledo community and providing training to various student organizations and groups on campus.