Step One

Fill out and turn in the proper form you school requires to have a tailgate. The form comes with guidelines that should be followed and read thru thoroughly as they change every year.

Step Two

Preparing for the Tailgate (the Friday Night Before)

What to Purchase for the tailgate:

The night before the tailgate two people should go and buy everything needed for the next day with the exception of Ice and other perishable items. We usually spend about $100 on liquor handles (usually two rum handles, two vodka handles and two tequila handles) and mixers (Cranberry juice, Orange Juice, Coke, Diet Coke Sunny D Light, Sprite) as well as an additional $130 on the keg and keg pump.

Cups, plates, forks, spoons, knives, two cases of water, tortillas, Chips and Salsa enough for about 100 people, trash bags and napkins should also be purchased. The propane tank for the BBQ grill should be checked and if necessary filled the day before so that we have a way to cook the food.

What to load in the Van:

• Two white tables
• Handles, Kegs, Eating Utensils, Mixers
• Dolly to carry kegs or some sort of rolling cart
• Ice Chest
• Buckets for Kegs
• BBQ Grill (Should also be Cleaned before it gets loaded in the Van) and propane tank (should be filled before the tailgate)
• Tents
• Cooking supplies
• Boom box or DJ equipment (extension cord)
• Tape or rope to put the flag up

Step Three

Setting up the morning of the tailgate

The morning of the tailgate four bags of ice should be purchased and put it in the ice chest. Three or more people should set up the morning of the tailgate. Two hours should be allotted for set up before the tailgate is scheduled to start. The three people setting up must set up a perimeter (this is where the tables, tent and kegs come in handy) around the spot so that no one takes it and make sure they inform people setting up around the area you will be having lots of people attending. Everything should be unloaded out of the van.

Always remember to be courteous to your alumni neighbors offer them something to eat or drink and they will appreciate it, never be rude to them as they will have the upper hand when they complain. Once everything is in its place and there are at least five people present someone should drop off the van and walk back from the nearest parking location available.

Step Four

Tailgating

The food should begin cooking as soon as everything is set up. Two people should be in charge of cooking and observing the tailgate in order to make sure no one is getting to drunk or rowdy, as we are responsible for any misconduct that occurs at our tailgates. The drinks are pretty much self-serve but someone should make sure that people know where the drinks, cups and eating utensils are.

A third person should be in charge of the music, making sure its not too loud and there is something playing at all times except for when the band comes thru. This third person should also make sure that people are disposing of their trash in trash bins, this will help out the cleaning crew as well as make sure everyone in the tailgate committee who wants attend the game is able to make it on time.

Step Five

Clean Up and Tear Down

Make sure everything that was loaded in the van at the beginning of the tailgate is loaded back in the van at the end of the tailgate. It is helpful to make a list of everything, in order to ensure that nothing gets lost. All trash should be collected and disposed of properly. Everyone who is in the committee should clean up after the tailgate but only three people need to stay till the end.

One person needs to go get the van and find a way back on campus. The best thing to do is wait until traffic has died down once everyone is in the stadium. You can get the van in the same way you got it in at the beginning. Exercise caution while driving on campus the maxim limit on campus is 5 mph and there are a lot of drunk people walking around. The people who stay need to collect everything and get it ready to be loaded in the van.

Have fun and enjoy.