A Novice's Guide to Tailgating

From a SigEp at LSU (don't judge); good tips for anyone.

The Odyssey Online - LSU - Sigma Phi Epsilon - A Novice's Guide to Tailgating

Andrew Alexander

Sigma Phi Epsilon

Saturday marks the season opener for the LSU football team. Fans young and old must only wait a few more days before they get to witness LSU’s new high-powered offense, led by Zach Mettenberger and his stable of running backs. The roar of the most inebriated crowd in the country will be heard for miles as “Callin’ Baton Rouge” plays inside Death Valley during the pregame festivities. However, before the sun finds its home in the western sky and our ears are tickled by the sonorous voice of Dan Borne reminding us the chance of rain is “Never!,” there’s another matter Tiger fans must attend to: tailgating. 

Tailgating is the most integral part of the game day experience outside of the game itself. It’s a conglomeration of RVs, tents, couches, grills, Dixie cups and speakers, drenched in every shade of purple and gold, stretching beyond the farthest reaches of campus. Ladies wear their finest game day dresses adorned with their “(insert sorority here) loves the Tigers!” sticker, while the gents don their best looking purple and gold frattire.

Obviously as Greeks, I don’t have to educate most of you on the nuances of the tailgating scene, but for the new crop of freshmen and anyone else who may have forgotten our beloved game day tradition, here’s some advice to make your tailgating experience as fulfilling as possible.

Pace Yourself -  Tailgating is a marathon not a sprint. Pounding brewskis like an Adderall-filled chimpanzee at 10 a.m. probably isn’t the best strategy if you want to make it to see the Tigers kickoff. There’s nothing worse than missing the game and having to catch the highlights on Sports Center. Have a good time, but rage responsibly.

Koozie Up - No one likes to shake a cold, wet hand. Whether it’s a cola or a beer, every drink should be clothed with your favorite koozie. While plentiful and easy to find, you can tell a lot about a person by the koozie he or she uses. And for the record, it’s called a koozie, not a “huggie.” This isn’t Starkville, MS.

Stay Hydrated - Tailgating is an all-day affair for most, and it’s no secret that Louisiana is pretty hot and humid this time of year. Mix in a fews cups of water or Gatorade to ensure that you beat the heat.

Don’t Forget Your Ticket - One of the worst feelings in the world is walking all the way out to the Parade Grounds  - or worse  Tiger   Stadium - and realizing you forgot to print out your ticket. On game days, a ticket is more valuable than King Midas’ gold. Make sure to grab yours before you walk out the door.

Cool It On the Party Pics - This one is directed to the ladies, you know who you are, that insist on taking a picture with every single person at the tailgate. A few pictures to commemorate the day and your new game day dress are fine, but you don’t need to break up every conversation just to get a picture with your “bestie!”

Watch Out for Law Enforcement - While neither The Odyssey nor myself condone underage drinking, it undoubtedly will happen while tailgating. Make sure to put whatever beverage you’re drinking in a Styrofoam cup, and it’s usually wise to only consume under the safety of your tailgate tent or area. If you’re the wise guy who decides to roam the campus with a tall boy in hand, don’t be surprised if you get a minor  possession citation.

Lastly, get excited! Football season is almost here! The Tigers face a long road to Miami, but I know the Purple and Gold faithful will be with them every step of the way, one tailgate at a time.

One Dead in Accident at Yale Bowl

Brian Warren, of Richmond, Virginia, National Executive Director of Sigma
Phi Epsilon in New Haven Sunday morning at the Yale University Sigma Phi
Epsilon Connecticut Delta Chapter fraternity house on High Street.

By Ann DeMatteo
Peter Hvizdak / Register


NEW HAVEN — The mood at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house at Yale Unversity is of “shock and concern” following an accident at Yale Bowl yesterday that killed a woman and injured two others, a national fraternity official who flew in from Colorado said Sunday.

Sources have said it was a fraternity member who drove the U-Haul box truck into three women, killing one and injuring two in a parking lot where there was lots of tailgating going on before the Yale-Harvard game. The box truck was full of beer kegs, allegedly headed for the fraternity’s tailgating section.

Brian Warren, executive director of the national fraternity of which the Yale chapter is a part, would not confirm Sunday that a fraternity member was the one who drove the U-Haul into Lot D, as Warren said he is waiting for the police report.

But, he did say brothers were in the vehicle.

Warren had been at a national meeting in Colorado on Saturday and flew to New Haven as soon as he was informed of the tragedy.

Police have identified the driver of the truck as Brendan Ross, whose address they list as 31 High St., the address of the chapter house for SigEp. Ross was sober and no criminal charges have been filed, pending the outcome of an investigation by the city police department’s accident reconstruction team, police said.

There was an “inexplicable acceleration of the vehicle,” Warren said Sunday, referring to Saturday’s tragedy.

“As you can imagine, the fact that there was a death has really shaken people up,” Warren said.

“Everyone is thinking and praying for the families of the victims...One of the purposes of coming here was to support (the members) and assist in the investigations and be here if they wanted to talk to me.”

Nancy Barry, 30, of Salem, Mass., was killed when the U-Haul ran over her. A Yale School of Management student Sarah Short, was seriously injured and is in Yale-New Haven Hospital with broken bones. A Harvard University employee who was at the Bowl, Elizabeth Derbach, was treated at the Hospital of St. Raphael and released.

The Yale chapter of SigEp, known as Connecticut Delta, was founded about a decade ago. It is one of 241 chapters across the country. The Connecticut Epsilon chapter is at Quinnipiac University.

The chapter has about 100 members and Warren said he was meeting with them in small groups. About a dozen live in the chapter house at 31 High St.

He said he was fitting in the meetings around the schedule of the brothers, who are going home for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Besides SigEp, Sigma Nu and Sigma Alpha Epsilon have houses next to each other on the street. Students coming in and out of the houses, as well as students walking along High Street, declined comment on the tragedy Sunday.

According to Warren, fraternity brothers have had access to the university’s Health Department in order to seek counsel or advice.

The fraternity’s purpose is to “build balanced men” and to assist them in the transition from high school to college through “co-curricular opportunities,” and to make successful undergraduates and graduates, Warren said.

He said the Yale chapter is an “incredible chapter filled with incredible men.”

“They’re still shocked,” he said.