No Deal Reached For Tailgate Plans

College representatives failed to reach an agreement with the Boston Police Department yesterday over plans for this year’s Harvard-Yale tailgate.

At Sunday’s Undergraduate Council meeting, Council President Matthew W. Mahan ’05 detailed a plan for the event, involving a united tailgate for Harvard and Yale students run by a central beer distributor. Mahan, University Hall administrators and House Committees drafted the plan after the Boston Police Department informed the College that they planned to enforce alcohol consumption laws more stringently at this year’s Game.

Mahan was optimistic Sunday that the agreement would move forward. But Captain William Evans of the Boston Police Department’s 14th District sent the College back with a number of additional items to examine.

“We are moving forward to obtain the necessary Entertainment and Liquor Transport licenses,” Associate Dean of the College Judith H. Kidd wrote in an e-mail, declining to comment further.

Mahan said that the delegation discussed when the tailgates could begin and end, to what extent the tailgate overseers would have to encourage people to go into the stadium, and the shutdown and cleanup procedure.

Mahan said he plans to submit a request for the required licenses and permits to Patricia A. Malone, director of consumer affairs and licensing for Boston as soon as possible and is confident that the council’s request will be approved.

“I’m remaining optimistic that we’ll be able to serve beer at Harvard-Yale,” Mahan said.

In addition to Mahan and Kidd, the 45-minute meeting was attended by Assistant Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin II, Special Assistant for Social Programming Zac A. Corker ’04, representatives from the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) and members of Harvard Department of Athletics. HUPD spokesman Steven G. Catalano declined to comment on the meeting.

According to Mahan, Evans was also concerned that intoxicated undergraduates could create a disturbance for the residents of the Charlesview Apartments, a property that Harvard has had its eye on. During the past two years Harvard has engaged in numerous negotiations and discussions with residents regarding the purchasing of the property.

Neither Yale administrators nor undergraduates have been involved in the planning of the joint tailgate thus far.

Chancellor Carlisle, vice-president of the Yale College Council, said that the only communication they have received about preparations for The Game was an e-mail that Mahan sent to the Council early Monday morning. “We appreciate that the council and administrators have gone to great lengths, but we would like to have a clear idea of what is acceptable and what’s not, since we do expect a large number of students to go to the game,” Carlisle said.

Mahan listed several reasons for not wanting Yale students more closely involved in the process thus far, including his desire to secure the permits to host the tailgates first. But Mahan also cited the differences between the Harvard Undergraduate Council and the Yale College Council as a reason he’s holding off on consulting Yale.

“The Yale side is going to be harder to organize because the Yale government is not as centralized and doesn’t have as large of a budget.” Mahan said.

Carlisle believes that the changes to tailgate traditions and general confusion about what will happen this year won’t significantly decrease how many students from Yale make the trek to Cambridge during their Thanksgiving recess for The Game.

“Yalies just want to know what the deal is and there is some apprehension that the game won’t be the same time honored tradition,” Carlisle said. “I don’t think it will stop large amounts of people from attending the game though.”

Captain Evans could not be reached for comment last night due to the Red Sox game.

—Staff writer Joshua P. Rogers can be reached at jprogers@fas.harvard.edu.