Pancakes, Alcohol Secured For Game

The Undergraduate Council has secured the required approval from the City of Boston to hold a unified tailgate at Ohiri Fields this year, according to Council President Matthew W. Mahan ’05.

Mahan sent an e-mail over UC-general Wednesday, announcing that the proposal had been approved and that the council had secured a beer distributor, a liquor license and an entertainment license.

Two weeks ago the original beer provider, United Liquors, withdrew from negotiations to supply the tailgate.

Special Assistant to the Dean for Social Programming Zachary A Corker ’04 declined to name the new distributor citing that media coverage could jeopardize the agreement. The new distributor will follow the plan originally proposed with United Liquors of supplying beer from two trucks at opposite ends of Ohiri Field and one tabled serving area in the middle.

The final plan for the tailgate is very similar to the original plan discussed with House Committee (HoCo) chairs earlier this week at a council-sponsored round table discussion, with a few exceptions.

Mahan had previously assured students that he would push for carding at beer distribution locations rather than wristbands. But the final agreement states that wristbands will be used. Wristbands will be issued at a special wristband tent the day of the game and students must provide a valid government-issued ID.

“The beer distributor requires it,” Mahan said. “They just don’t want to ID people when they come up. It’s easier for them to see a wristband and just serve.”

Individuals who bring in their own alcohol will be subject to University regulations, a well as state and city laws and will not be allowed to leave the tailgate area with an open container.

The finalized plan also notes that Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) can search any vehicle entering Ohiri Field.

Harvard and the Boston Police Department will be charged with enforcing most of the rules.

“We are having HUPD officers on the ground and there will be tutors and House masters in the undergraduate tailgate area,” Corker said.

Mahan said that four BPD officers would also be manning the tailgate.

To address any potential first aid issues, an ambulance and a University Health Services tent will be on site, Corker added.

Bottled water will also be available to anyone, he said.

Guest policy, which was still up in the air as of the Tuesday round table discussion, has been settled as well. Students who wish to enter the tailgate area must have a Harvard or Yale College ID or an admissions ticket issued from Harvard Box Office. This marks the first time that a Harvard-Yale tailgate will be ticketed for guests. All alumni, graduate students, or students from other colleges must obtain a $10 ticket which entitles them to beer and food at the barbecue.

Following Mahan’s suggestion earlier this semester for each House to host a pancake breakfast so as to encourage students to eat starches prior to tailgating and to minimize instances of alcohol poisoning in the process, Harvard University Dining Services has one slated for 8:00 to 10:30 a.m. the day of the Game.

All dining halls will also be open for a “victory dinner” at 6:00 p.m., Corker said.

“I just felt that it would be neat to start a Harvard tradition in which we had everyone explicitly eat breakfast together,” Mahan said. “I don’t know how extensive the menu will be, but it’s going to be a kind of traditional, American breakfast. We’re going to try to make it a Harvard-Yale morning tradition.”

The distribution of available parking has also been amended. Originally Mahan said that 50 of the spaces would be allocated to Yale and 100 to Harvard. The new plan gives Yale 60 spaces and Harvard 90.

Applications for those spaces were due on Monday.

While some student groups requested more than one space and may receive fewer than expected, every student group should expect a tailgating area.

“We should be able to give a space to every group that applied, more or less,” Mahan said.

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