Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by the Collegian or its editorial board.
Open letter to Tony Frank,
As a former alumni that only missed only 3 on-campus games during my four-year tenure, and who often traveled among the team while fulfilling my newspaper duties, I’m discouraged at what I see as I gear up for the season opener this weekend. Blissful memories of Hughes flooding my mind only to be crashed down to reality as to how I’m going to throw a tailgate for 15 friends and family members who have traveled to Colorado to share the opening experience. As a Denver resident, I recognize that I may only get to one or two Rams football games, while I’d love to visit Fort Collins more, life just happens and two is more realistic. Realistic enough to not make a donation for a $100 parking pass.
Dr. Frank, you see, I’m discouraged that the parking situation isn’t encouraging mixing new alumni and old. Diehard vs weekend warriors. It’s segregating it. You’re telling me, a young alumni, that I can’t play ladderball with my tailgating neighbors because I can’t make a $5,000 donation. You’re telling me, intentionally or not, that young alumni are ‘less’ because we cannot donate more.
I’m discouraged that you promote binge, secretive, drinking within ‘dry’ tailgate lots instead of seeing and stopping someone before they’ve drank too much. We’ve all had that one friend who pregames a little too hard because they can’t drink publicly or trys to play ‘catch-up.’
I’m discouraged that the CSU stadium team hasn’t listened. From student opposition to alumni opposition, you’re telling me that our voices don’t matter for the stadium, for tailgating, or for the parking situation.
Regardless of my initial thoughts, I decided to back the administration. Private donations, more academic money, ‘newer and better things will happen with the stadium.’ I heard the stadium was being built, and here we are today with a shiny new stadium. I’m not going to be able to change that. Not then, not now. It’s built and we’ll have to live with it.
What we don’t have to live with are the policies that are created just to be created. To appease higher power. Hear people on policies. Hear that the tailgating situation is not OK. Hear that donation based tickets, spread out parking locations/lots are not OK. Hear that this is not normal for on-campus stadiums. You want to look at normal? Look at Oregon State University (yes, our competitors throw a great game day experience!), look at University of Oklahoma, look at all the SEC team game day experience and soon you’ll see people gather, not spread, quickly bouncing from one tailgate to the next. People socialize, drink, and cook damn good food. People relish in being at their Alma Mater. It’s social, not strict.
Colorado State is going to fall short on this experience until we address easier parking, tailgating, and easier game day experience (ever read the parking map and trying to figure out where to park? It’s not easy.) Resolve this and we have a recipe for success. Let policies sit and going to a game will become a hassle, not a blissful experience.
I want to make the best of it, I really do, but I hold my breath on what my experience prior to game-time will look like on Saturday.
Sincerely,
Rachel Hubel
Discouraged Alumni
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MilkyWay123 • Aug 31, 2017 at 2:58 pm
Rachel–do you realize that there was also a tier parking method at Hughes? Higher donors parked behind the stadium and it filtered south with donation from there. Those who did not donate payed $10 and parked in the far south end of the lot. There was no less segregation of young and old or poor and rich alumni there than there is at the new stadium.
I do sympathize about the no-alcohol policy in the South Campus lots. My bet is that it is City Of FTC policy more than a CSU policy that will not allow drinking there.
Maybe you and your tailgating friends should throw in together and buy a $100 parking pass.
One person could take all the fun stuff in while the rest of you parked for free at any MAX area and then took Max for free to campus. Campus is easy to get around. I have friends from all walks of life parked at various lots and I can still easily manage to get around and visit with everyone if I choose.
CSU has 2 (or 3?) stages with popular bands playing and has a beer garden set up at Lory. There were a lot of students and 20 somethings enjoying those last weekend. Experience that!
I really do not feel that CSU is falling short on anything regarding the stadium–except maybe concessions–which I am sure they will have fixed soon.
Mike Rowe • Aug 31, 2017 at 6:58 am
I hosted a tailgate for 200 people, from all over the United States, and we all seemed to figure it out. If you cannot afford the $100 lots that require no donation, and I couldn’t when I first graduated either, park at the church just west of campus between shields and city park. $20 per game with full tailgating. I had friends who parked there and loved it.
And not normal for on campus tailgating? What campuses are you talking about? Bama, most people tailgate at Wal-Marts. Those in the quad and around the stadium are dropping $15000+ donations. Nebraska, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, BC, all the same. Minnesota isn’t in the $15k league, but they are similar to ours. I threw a 200 person tailgate on their campus just last year.
If you think you are going to or deserve to park directly across the street from the stadium, then that is a you problem. It is going to be ok. For your 1-2 games a year, you are going to find what works for you and your friends. Hell you are always invited to our tailgate. And believe me, someone who was at Hughes about 125 times and loved every one of them, this is so, so much better!
Rob • Aug 29, 2017 at 8:54 am
To the author, respectfully, this part, extrapolated to every other part of a game day experience in any organized collegiate sport, is simply the way it is: “You’re telling me, intentionally or not, that young alumni are ‘less’ because we cannot donate more.” It’s the same logic that doesn’t allow you to sit in a private suite up in the press box, park next to the stadium, etc. So, “less”? Not really, but “afforded less luxury and access”? Absolutely.
CSURamT • Aug 28, 2017 at 3:26 pm
I have a $100 parking pass in a $100 donation lot and did not have any of these issues. There was a lot of ladder ball, bbqing, responsible drinking and fun buly people of all ages going on around me. We had no issues with where to park because we read the numerous parking maps that were sent to us and planned our day accordingly. We had a great time in our segregated lot and then when we wantes to move to where the action is we joined people there and had a great time there. I would say that the author kust needs to be more proactive and plan better if they were unable to enjoy themselves at the game. That isnt the fault of CSU or Dr. Frank.