(10-25-2015 09:29 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  The convo tailgating isn't that far away, but it's a shame they can't fill up the west and east sides of the stadium, it makes the whole atmosphere look lame.

its simple. currently, there is a limited amount of tailgaters to fill a huge amount of real estate. the whole thing with donor levels, and assigned parking areas has spread the whole thing too thin.

The problem I have had for many years was solved with the new arrangement in the West lot. In the past, it had been next to impossible to get to a space because people set up in the aisle and/or do not move their asses when they see a car coming and trying to park. There have been many times, when I have had to literally get out of my car and yell at people to move their carcasses. If that's not bad enough, parents do not watch their kids and let them run all over the place as if there is never any traffic in the lot.

That problem has been solved this year with the new parking arrangement. Plus, they have attendants taking us to our assigned space. Of course, there are still idiots who stand in the aisle and refuse to move, but this year I am just running them over and continuing to my space. They may learn a lesson after they get out of the hospital.

The issue I have with the west lot is just that. The assigned spots and people showing up whenever they chose and disrupting activities. It would be better if you have a row for the high rollers assigned and the rest first come first serve and fill it north to south. That would solve the late arrivals. making it easier to park.

I went to the HAF tent this week. I don't usually. Sat and talked with Steve Azar and his family. Had an awesome time. Glad he was able to make it back.

I tailgate in the convo lot for all the games I attend and it is typically a great atmosphere.

(10-26-2015 10:44 AM)huskiealum03 Wrote:  

(10-25-2015 04:07 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Why do people need to be crammed together and act like monkeys in order to tailgate? I am in the West lot and it's great. People who want to tailgate do so, and now there's enough room without blocking the aisles for cars to get to their spots. Adults park in this lot, and they don't act like idiots. Do tailgate lots need to have loud music blaring with hundreds of people acting like idiots in order for tailgating to be fun for you guys?

i agree that the 'convo style' is for some people, not for others. likewise, the east side style is for some, not for others. however, on the east side, ideally there is supposed to be energy and excitement, and fun. this is what appeals to a college student.

IMO, it was a HUGE mistake that NIU forced most students to go to the west side (beginning in 2004) unless they were a huskie donor. The cart went before the horse. It split up what was supposed to be a high energy high 'fun' area. I have no doubt that now the tailgating experience to most students is now 'meh'. Before NIU did this, the east side was packed, fun, high energy, and a big party - with tons of potential. Its no wonder that the growth in overall alumni support has not been there. I'm not shocked that we are paying the price for this shortsighted move. I'm just saying.

IIRC...The East side was GA in 2003 but then was half a donor lot and half a student lot in 04. The students were not moved over to the West side. The West side has always been the Alum side...there is ZERO need for the West side lot to appeal to the students.



The tailgating atmosphere on the East side for this years Homecoming was easily the same as it was in 2001-2002.

(10-26-2015 11:09 AM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  

(10-26-2015 10:44 AM)huskiealum03 Wrote:  

(10-25-2015 04:07 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Why do people need to be crammed together and act like monkeys in order to tailgate? I am in the West lot and it's great. People who want to tailgate do so, and now there's enough room without blocking the aisles for cars to get to their spots. Adults park in this lot, and they don't act like idiots. Do tailgate lots need to have loud music blaring with hundreds of people acting like idiots in order for tailgating to be fun for you guys?

i agree that the 'convo style' is for some people, not for others. likewise, the east side style is for some, not for others. however, on the east side, ideally there is supposed to be energy and excitement, and fun. this is what appeals to a college student.

IMO, it was a HUGE mistake that NIU forced most students to go to the west side (beginning in 2004) unless they were a huskie donor. The cart went before the horse. It split up what was supposed to be a high energy high 'fun' area. I have no doubt that now the tailgating experience to most students is now 'meh'. Before NIU did this, the east side was packed, fun, high energy, and a big party - with tons of potential. Its no wonder that the growth in overall alumni support has not been there. I'm not shocked that we are paying the price for this shortsighted move. I'm just saying.

IIRC...The East side was GA in 2003 but then was half a donor lot and half a student lot in 04. The students were not moved over to the West side. The West side has always been the Alum side...there is ZERO need for the West side lot to appeal to the students.



The tailgating atmosphere on the East side for this years Homecoming was easily the same as it was in 2001-2002.

when was it when NIU started the "Student Huskie Club" or whatever it was? I distinctly remember the east side being packed before this event, and being half empty thereafter. I'm not saying the west side has to appeal to students, but nowadays thats where a ton of students end up tailgating for one reason or another. What i remember is that some groups pooled their money to come up with a 'donation' so they can stay at the east side.

(10-26-2015 11:19 AM)huskiealum03 Wrote:  

(10-26-2015 11:09 AM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  

(10-26-2015 10:44 AM)huskiealum03 Wrote:  

(10-25-2015 04:07 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Why do people need to be crammed together and act like monkeys in order to tailgate? I am in the West lot and it's great. People who want to tailgate do so, and now there's enough room without blocking the aisles for cars to get to their spots. Adults park in this lot, and they don't act like idiots. Do tailgate lots need to have loud music blaring with hundreds of people acting like idiots in order for tailgating to be fun for you guys?

i agree that the 'convo style' is for some people, not for others. likewise, the east side style is for some, not for others. however, on the east side, ideally there is supposed to be energy and excitement, and fun. this is what appeals to a college student.

IMO, it was a HUGE mistake that NIU forced most students to go to the west side (beginning in 2004) unless they were a huskie donor. The cart went before the horse. It split up what was supposed to be a high energy high 'fun' area. I have no doubt that now the tailgating experience to most students is now 'meh'. Before NIU did this, the east side was packed, fun, high energy, and a big party - with tons of potential. Its no wonder that the growth in overall alumni support has not been there. I'm not shocked that we are paying the price for this shortsighted move. I'm just saying.

IIRC...The East side was GA in 2003 but then was half a donor lot and half a student lot in 04. The students were not moved over to the West side. The West side has always been the Alum side...there is ZERO need for the West side lot to appeal to the students.



The tailgating atmosphere on the East side for this years Homecoming was easily the same as it was in 2001-2002.

when was it when NIU started the "Student Huskie Club" or whatever it was? I distinctly remember the east side being packed before this event, and being half empty thereafter. I'm not saying the west side has to appeal to students, but nowadays thats where a ton of students end up tailgating for one reason or another. What i remember is that some groups pooled their money to come up with a 'donation' so they can stay at the east side.

Yes BUT that was also when they switched the East lot from GA to only Donors and students with passes. Those were the 2 different changes which resulted in the double whammy of problems for the East side.

At this point I doubt that 99% of the students know how they can get a pass to tailgate in the East stands.


Also before it didn't matter if 10 or 500 students cars were in the East lot because other NIU fans who liked the party atmosphere were there to fill it up because it was open as GA and it only cost a relatively small amount.

Walking thru the Convo, East and Alumni Village...they REALLY need to add more porta johns. I walked by many guys revealing themselves in the bushes or on a building.

The Tent A Gate area with the Greek Party was also badly underJohn'd

(10-26-2015 11:45 AM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  Walking thru the Convo, East and Alumni Village...they REALLY need to add more porta johns. I walked by many guys revealing themselves in the bushes or on a building.

The Tent A Gate area with the Greek Party was also badly underJohn'd

So basically you walked past where DogFan and his posse were tailgating?

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

(10-26-2015 11:53 AM)Stay Cool Wrote:  

(10-26-2015 11:45 AM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  Walking thru the Convo, East and Alumni Village...they REALLY need to add more porta johns. I walked by many guys revealing themselves in the bushes or on a building.

The Tent A Gate area with the Greek Party was also badly underJohn'd

So basically you walked past where DogFan and his posse were tailgating?

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

Sorry if I offended anyone. I didn't think my posse was showing. I promise to be more discreet next time.

I don't think students tailgate and go into the game. I was walking toward the east side of the stadium about 15 minutes before game time and I was passed by at least 100 students going back to the dorms. At first I thought they moved the stadium.

(10-25-2015 10:40 AM)HuskieRak Wrote:  So I finally made it back to DeKalb. Very last-minute trip as I had to come up here for work & decided to make a quick run to Fatty's in the AM with some alums. Had to leave about 1:30 to make it to work function so couldn't make the game but walked around a bit to remember the good ol' days.

This was my first time back in DeKalb since '10.. it's been a while :(

Fattys - Love the expansion. And the potato salad is still delicious.
Mollys - $5 cover.. Hahahahaha. No. That's dumb.

Tailgating
I don't know if I'm just used to the mayhem of Florida-Georgia tailgate every year, but man, both east & west lots seemed empty. Obviously the frats had their normal things going but outside of that, so much green space and not a lot of stuff happening. Are there any students outside of frats that actually park on the lawn anymore?

Lot K --- Also pretty sparse.

The Yard - I love the setup with the big screen & beer available but it was a little depressing in there. That entire West side was depressing walking around. Thanks for donating & being hardcore fans but look excited being at a football game.

Which brings me to a point i've been making for a longtime... The only way to attract people to NIU games is by building up the gameday experience. The biggest part of that is tailgating.

The parking situation just dumbfounds me. I understand the need to make donors happy w/ premier parking But at the same time those premier parking spots are fantastic tailgating spots. How many people are tailgating in the convo lots?. Get them around the stadium. Let them park in Lot K & East Lawn. Even if you just allow 30 spots per lot to be open for single game parking that could make a huge improvement.


Short version: The tailgating experience was just plain boring. Big changes need to be made. If that was my first NIU gameday I wouldn't come back. And this is coming from someone who was like a little kid going to Disney World.

I completely agree. Forcing the best of the tailgating out towards the Convo makes absolutely no sense. You want that as close to the stadium as possible. I've been saying that for years. Back in the day, that's how it was.

I really don't see what the problem is. People are free to tailgate in any lot. They do tailgate in the East and West lots. But, you can't force people to tailgate. So, when people just park in those lots, it's a cardinal sin. Those who tailgate in the West lot don't blast music and run around like drunken banshees, so they too are at fault for not creating a wild atmosphere. Maybe there should be a rule that in order to park in the NIU donor lots, you need to tailgate, do it heartily, and act like a wild beast in heat.

I don't recall the west side of the stadium ever being party central. That should be the donor lot, and let the students and others fill up the East lot completely, instead of most of it being empty.

The east side used to always be packed and fun when I was there (2000-2003). I believe it used to be free, or a small fee (maybe $5-10). The immediate West side used to be a donor lot, then regular parking right behind them. It was a pretty good time all over, but the east side lot was always a great atmosphere.

The west side doesn't have to be a big ol' party... I was just dissapointed in the atmosphere of the Yard. It's an awesome setup. Thought more people would be taking advantage of it.

(10-26-2015 04:32 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  The west side doesn't have to be a big ol' party... I was just dissapointed in the atmosphere of the Yard. It's an awesome setup. Thought more people would be taking advantage of it.

True, though I don't think it could handle all that many more people.

(10-26-2015 04:32 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  The west side doesn't have to be a big ol' party... I was just dissapointed in the atmosphere of the Yard. It's an awesome setup. Thought more people would be taking advantage of it.

I only get to one game a year in DeKalb. IMO the YARD was an inspired idea and my family and I enjoyed it as much last Sat as we did last year. My four year old granddaughter loved the bounce houses and having the opportunity to engage with some live Husky Dogs (yes I spelled it that way on purpose). We got family pictures with Victor E and had a nice time prior to the game.

I attended the NIU Miami game the week before and the game day experience is much better at NIU.

Fact: Tailgating at NIU was nothing less than amazing until they gutted it by killing the GA tailgating on the east side. They gutted it to build short term fundraising gains and I'm convinced that its contributed to killing attendance and long term will result in fewer Huskies fans.