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With Tigerfest quickly approaching, many students can be heard asking about ticket prices, show times and pre-event parties.
But with a major event come major rules and regulations, and Tigerfest is no exception. Tigerfest, like in previous years, has a list of rules on the website for Campus Activities Board, and all students who step onto Burdick Field Saturday will be expected to follow them.
Among the rules surrounding Tigerfest, the most important (and likely most frequently broken) guidelines are those concerning alcohol.
Associate vice president for campus life Teri Hall said that the Tigerfest rules, which are similar to those in the past, are meant first and foremost to ensure safety and maintain basic local regulations.
“The goal is to put on a great event where students can have fun, enjoy college life and be responsible citizens,” Hall said, “so the policies we have in place on campus have to mirror what state law is and other kind of responsibilities that people have.”
Tigerfest is known to some students as a day to let go of past inhibitions and drink more than usual to enhance the experience.
Sophomore Amanda Menke, assistant director for CAB, said that while many students see Tigerfest that way, CAB hopes it can be more of a day for school unity. Menke said the rules are intended to reflect this attitude.
“The goal of Tigerfest is to be a fun awesome day for our students, an annual tradition when we promote campus unity,” Menke said. We honestly are working for the best possible Tigerfest. I sometimes think people view it more as an opportunity to have an all-day drinking festival than a day to enjoy the music and the time spent with their friends at Towson.”
Part of how staff keeps alcohol out of the equation is by providing a beer garden for all guest of age 21 and older, then prohibiting any student from entering the premises with any food or drink with them. Water and some food are available free of charge on the field, while other drinks and large meals can be purchased.
One source of contention has been that guests purchasing alcohol in the beer garden cannot leave that area without either consuming or disposing of all the alcohol.
“I know other schools have different rules about that,” Menke said, “but that’s not how we do it.
However, Towson administration and CAB can only do so much to prevent drinking before Tigerfest, according to Hall. Many students, regardless of the rules, are going to drink heavily before getting in line at Burdick Field. How these students are treated and how discretion is used in disciplining unruly guests is what the regulations are all about, she said.
“There are going to be students who choose to drink before Tigerfest,” Hall said. “As long as their behavior doesn’t cause trouble – as long as they’re able to walk and act appropriately – they’re going to get in to Tigerfest and have a flying time. It’s only the students who choose to drink too much, get into fights or behave inappropriately; it’s those students that get dealt with.”
How those students get dealt with is well structured and has a pre-determined process. If a student is acting belligerent or is causing a major disruption, Hall said that she or a member of the event staff will approach the student and ask him or her to behave more appropriately. After that, if the student continues to act out of line, a member of the security force, such as a police officer, will approach the student and threaten to have him or her removed from Tigerfest. If unacceptable behavior persists, staff will remove the student’s bracelet, which acts as proof of admission, and will be ejected from the event.
Hall said that police are present to act as a sort of last resort, and that she hopes there are few or no arrests and ejections.
“The goal is not to arrest people at Tigerfest,” Hall said. “We don’t want to do that. Frankly, we don’t want to kick people out. We want to make sure there is a safe and fun environment for everybody, not just certain people who want to go crazy. If students aren’t going to respond to the directives of staff, that’s when the police get involved.”
Captain Robert Novak, who is the commander of the patrol division for Towson University Police Department and will oversee security at Tigerfest, said that TUPD’s main role is that of security and safety, not of active discipline.
“We’re there to keep everyone safe,” Novak said. “The university has staff to deal with some of the behavioral issues that are minor in nature. We’ll only intervene if there’s criminal violation or a safety situation where someone is injured or passed out.”
Novak would not disclose his officers’ exact locations for Saturday, but he said there will be officers on Burdick field and around the venue, such as in the Union Garage and on the sidewalks around the field.
The police will be taking tips from the Tigerfest staff and will only be actively looking for students who pose an immediate safety threat.
“We’re looking for people who are intoxicated that can’t control themselves, people who are acting out, any aggressive behavior where people are agitating each other or trying to get in a fight,” Novak said.
Menke believes security at Tigerfest is adequate and that police intervention has, in the past, stayed within reasonable limits.
“I can’t say with any certainty that any time police intervene, that person was belligerent and needed to be removed,” Menke said, “but I can say that the large majority of the time they are working in the students’ best interest and trying to protect everyone at the event.”
Menke compared the situation at Tigerfest to that of Virgin Fest, a popular rock concert held in the United States and in Canada. She said that the main difference was that Virgin Fest, which is much larger, has fewer nominal restrictions and more on-the-spot security decisions.
However, Tigerfest has one added caveat: Towson University has a reputation to maintain.
“This is at Towson University’s campus, so anything that happens comes back on the administration and the school, not IMP Promotions,” Menke said.
Hall said that even with the widespread drinking before Tigerfest begins, most students never become a problem.
“Most students who are going to come – even those who have had alcoholic beverages – are going to come with the right attitude, that this is a great day to be a college student,” Hall said. “Really, we’re only talking about 1 percent, but that 1 percent can cause lots of trouble. That’s the challenge.”
The administration and CAB take this into consideration when making rules, which is why they only turn people away at the gate if they are visibly severely impaired by alcohol.
“If you’re belligerent and can’t walk straight there’s no reason why you should be at an event with a huge field and 20,000 students anyway,” Menke said. “Any other event, if you’re intoxicated, you’re going to be removed, like football games and sporting events. So it’s just like any university policy, [but] some of the students definitely think before they have too much. I think there’s a line between drinking and enjoying the day and drinking and not remembering the day.”
Hall said that the most important thing the administration can do going forward is to continue to push for students to come with friends who will look after one another.
“We’re working with students who have networks of friends all across campus to be part of a group to say to their friends, ‘you’re getting stupid, just stop it,’” Hall said. “It’s much better for that to happen than it is to have somebody like me to say something to them or deal with their behavior. So we’re hoping by having some positive peer pressure.”
