2024 Homecoming only 18 days away?!

[gmubrian]

Here is the Alumni Homecoming Event registration - It does have the alumni tent but I don't see the tailgate mentioned anywhere:

https://alumni.gmu.edu/s/1564/GID2/16/interior.aspx?sid=1564&pgid=7813&gid=2&cid=19817&ecid=19817&post_id=0

The link for the tailgate reservation is at the top of that page when I just went to it.

 

[mkaufman1]

20 dollars to tailgate? Did that price go up?

 

[EXpatriot13]

20 dollars to tailgate? Did that price go up?

Not sure if it went up but $20 for two parking spaces seems more than reasonable to me.

I know we talked earlier in this thread about tailgates at other times during the season. I found this on the Student Involvement website:

Due to the continual increase in cost, coupled with low attendance at organized tailgates beyond Homecoming, the Mason Tailgates committee has chosen to sunset this program.​

Continual rise in cost? Can't see how these cost a lot of money when tailgates pretty much run themselves at the expense of the tailgaters. That just sounds like an excuse to mask that they have no interest in making it an annual thing. I thought they had decent support and attendance for a first crack at it, pretty lame for the school to bail on it so quickly (although not surprising for Mason).

 

[GMUgemini]

Not sure if it went up but $20 for two parking spaces seems more than reasonable to me.

I know we talked earlier in this thread about tailgates at other times during the season. I found this on the Student Involvement website:

Due to the continual increase in cost, coupled with low attendance at organized tailgates beyond Homecoming, the Mason Tailgates committee has chosen to sunset this program.​

Continual rise in cost? Can't see how these cost a lot of money when tailgates pretty much run themselves at the expense of the tailgaters. That just sounds like an excuse to mask that they have no interest in making it an annual thing. I thought they had decent support and attendance for a first crack at it, pretty lame for the school to bail on it so quickly (although not surprising for Mason).

Just ridiculous. Just pick a lot and let people tailgate whenever they want. Why bother organizing anything? I just don’t get it.

 

[Patriotsince81]

The days of great bands and beer trucks on the quad are long gone. What a shame.....

 

[gmubrian]

Not sure if it went up but $20 for two parking spaces seems more than reasonable to me.

I know we talked earlier in this thread about tailgates at other times during the season. I found this on the Student Involvement website:

Due to the continual increase in cost, coupled with low attendance at organized tailgates beyond Homecoming, the Mason Tailgates committee has chosen to sunset this program.​

Continual rise in cost? Can't see how these cost a lot of money when tailgates pretty much run themselves at the expense of the tailgaters. That just sounds like an excuse to mask that they have no interest in making it an annual thing. I thought they had decent support and attendance for a first crack at it, pretty lame for the school to bail on it so quickly (although not surprising for Mason).

Not arguing one way or another, but, I became friends with the two staff that volunteered to supervise and sponsor these tailgates. We had discussions about paying for these costs. Some of the costs I recall being brought up:
They had to rent don's jons since EBA could not be opened up to serve as a bathroom.
Staffing of the event.
Police -Don't know if extra staff were required or just used already on duty officers
Trash cleanup
I think there may have been others.

Now, some of those costs may have been self inflicted by Mason being Mason.

 

[ProfessorCFK]

Now, some of those costs may have been self inflicted by Mason being Mason.

This. We used to tailgate for games as an undergrad, sometimes plugging an electric griddle into the exterior outlets of the Patriot Center to cook pancakes.

Never asked permission, never got in trouble.

 

[mkaufman1]

Just ridiculous. Just pick a lot and let people tailgate whenever they want. Why bother organizing anything? I just don’t get it.

That is what I used to do - even if it was 3 friends of mine sitting around my car having chips and salsa. We tried early in the season when it was warmer and usually it always rained.

Doesn't seem like Mason wants to push tailgating for various reasons. If they truly wanted it to become a "thing" I have to think they would try it more than over the course of 1 year and be a little bit more creative.

Doesn't really matter to me being out of state but I can see why some would be very frustrated.

 

[gmubrian]

It seems to me we have a chicken and egg situation with the tailgates (outside of homecoming).

Some fans want to tailgate, but, for the most part, won't do it without the school organizing it. That may be related to past crack downs.The school is lukewarm to it and puts overly burdensome requirements on them that ends up killing it each time it is tried. Thus we are stuck.

I think the best next step at this point is for those people that want to tailgate to just do it. See if anyone cracks down on it and see if it grows organically. If it grows, then it kind of forces Mason's hand if it gets big enough.

 

[GunstonsGhost]

Got my game tickets and registered for the beer tent! This will be my first time doing any homecoming events aside from the basketball game.

Mason was never very friendly about partying of any sort during my time on campus. Hopefully they relax for homecoming, but with all the delivery bots they have rollin all over campus these days I wouldn't be surprised if they've got some Mason Robocops to bully people lookin like they're having a good time.

 

[GMU79]

Got my game tickets and registered for the beer tent! This will be my first time doing any homecoming events aside from the basketball game.

Mason was never very friendly about partying of any sort during my time on campus. Hopefully they relax for homecoming, but with all the delivery bots they have rollin all over campus these days I wouldn't be surprised if they've got some Mason Robocops to bully people lookin like they're having a good time.

Okay, this is really out of character for me, but just to let you know that I wasn't always old, Does anybody remember the wet tee shirt contests? They were fun. And I'll tell you, some of those girls were determined to win. lol. Tried to get my girlfriend to enter, but she wouldn't. Oh well.

 

[GunstonsGhost]

Okay, this is really out of character for me, but just to let you know that I wasn't always old, Does anybody remember the wet tee shirt contests? They were fun. And I'll tell you, some of those girls were determined to win. lol. Tried to get my girlfriend to enter, but she wouldn't. Oh well.

Wet t-shirt contest on campus!? I remember some at spring break in Myrtle Beach, but simply turning music on without headphones was enough to get a knock from the campus cops.

 

[GMU79]

Wet t-shirt contest on campus!? I remember some at spring break in Myrtle Beach, but simply turning music on without headphones was enough to get a knock from the campus cops.

Yep, out by Robinson I. Had a band too.
Don't remember much about them. Of course it was at night.
You had campus cops!!?? All they used to do was issue parking decals.

 

[GunstonsGhost]

Yep, out by Robinson I. Had a band too.
Don't remember much about them. Of course it was at night.
You had campus cops!!??

Damn! That's awesome!

Yeah, the Mason Police or whatever used to patrol the campus in '03-'05 and would break up our small parties almost every time.

 

[daveshac]

I think for the past three years, the tailgating lot before Homecoming has been a pretty fun scene. We've been weather-lucky, for sure. But just walking around Lot A before the game, every year I run into somebody I remember from the early-90s and we stand a few drinks. My ex-roomate and I reserved two spaces this year and we're really looking forward to it.

Look, we all know that Mason is going to Mason. The administratives are going to do everything they can to fumble away momentum and screw up fun traditions in risk committees. But in my experience, the new alums and the old alums alike don't need a lot of help to drive into Lot A and throw down.

 

[GMUgemini]

Yep, out by Robinson I. Had a band too.
Don't remember much about them. Of course it was at night.
You had campus cops!!?? All they used to do was issue parking decals.

Campus police once arrested a poster known affectionately as Fro before I believe the Final Four banner raising game? For falling off a skateboard thinking he was drunk and disorderly.

 

[GMU79]

Campus police once arrested a poster known affectionately as Fro before I believe the Final Four banner raising game? For falling off a skateboard thinking he was drunk and disorderly.

Wasn't me! Although I have fallen off a skateboard or two in my time.
At least I don't think it was me. Who can remember, what with the wet tees and all.

 

[Where's the party?]

Since others started walking down memory lane, I remember when we had an event each semester (Mason and Patriots Day). I was the student govt Activities Chairman back then and had the fun job of organizing the events and booking the bands. They started on Wednesday night with camping around the old gym including completely unauthorized campfires. Thursday AM folks tried to recover in time to attend classes before the beer trucks arrived in K lot and the bands started. That party went until 11:00pm or whenever the administration shut the band down. Another night of camping, and the big party on Friday with bands on the library steps and beer trucks in the quad. I seem to recall softball tournaments on Saturday.

So yes, the party scene at Mason has fallen off a cliff since those days. Apparently, we can't even organize a decent Homecoming tailgate once a year. While I agree with several of the comments about trying to grow the tailgate organically, I can't understand why the student government couldn't organize and run this event. They get funding for events each year and could pay for the ridiculous, bureaucratic, passive aggressive requirement that such events be "staffed" by school employees who have to work anyway. I mean does Mason really think the north side of the campus will be ransacked if the campus police are mostly on the south side on a Sat morning? It's the school administration's way of making it painful ($$) when they don't want something to happen. BTW - That BS was going on back in the day, but we got away with a lot less of it.

Someone should tell the Mason administration that UVA got rid of Easters, but they didn't forget how to party.

 

[Patriotsince81]

The long range forecast calls for temps in the mid 50's with showers.