Cold and rainy weather convinced many ISU fans to skip tailgating and not go to the Homecoming game, making the job of crowd and traffic control easier for security officers.

ISU Department of Public Safety Program Manager Douglas Houghton heads the parking division and has worked game days for several years. He said by 11 a.m. there were approximately 550 cars in the student parking lots G2 and G3 south of the stadium.

During the previous two home games against the University of Nebraska and University of Northern Iowa, Houghton said those lots were full seven hours before kickoff.

“These are hardcore Iowa State fans today,” Houghton said.

Even with a low turnout, there were still many cars to direct.

“We’ll park nine or ten thousand cars today,” Houghton said.

DPS enlists the help of Iowa State’s Air Force ROTC to help park cars in the different lots.

Michael Black, sophomore in aerospace engineering and an Air Force cadet, worked in the student grass lot G2 south of the stadium. He said cold weather is one of the downsides to parking cars, but there are some benefits.

“People give you free food,” Black said.

Another perk is the cadets get into the game for free.

The cadets start work when the lots open six hours, and sometimes earlier, before kickoff. Army ROTC cadets also work home games.

Tom Slaughter, whose son Brent Slaughter plays linebacker for Texas Tech University, said he came to the game about two hours before the game.

“We pulled right in and didn’t have any trouble parking,” Slaughter said.

Slaughter said the University of Colorado, Texas A&M University and University of Texas have long walks and make parking difficult.

“Without question, ISU provides the most number of parking spaces in close proximity to the venue,” said ISU DPS Director Jerry Stewart.

Texas Tech fan Joe Gamble has been to every Big 12 stadium and several other major college football stadiums.

“We got in very easily,” Gamble said. “It’s probably the easiest we’ve gotten into any game in years.”

He said Iowa State’s tailgating compares with the University of Mississippi’s, which he said has the best tailgating of any college.

“It certainly has the atmosphere,” Gamble said.

Colin Parrott, senior in veterinary medicine, said he has been to 90 percent of the home games since he’s been a student at Iowa State. He said he prefers tailgating in Ames compared to tailgating in Iowa City.

“I think it’s better here because we’re all in one spot,” Parrott said.

David Johnson, senior in electrical engineering, said he was in line for the student lots at 5:30 a.m. waiting for the lots to open.

“I haven’t had any problems with how they handle things,” Johnson said.

DPS Officer Robert Gudenkauf patrolled the student lots before the game.

“We’re making sure everybody is safe,” Gudenkauf said.

He said students and DPS get along well.

“People are pretty good,” Gudenkauf said. “We don’t have too much trouble.”

Representatives from Ames Police, Story County Sheriff’s Office, Mary Greeley Medical Center, the athletic department and Per Mar Security monitor gameday activities from a room in Jack Trice’s press box to help things run smoothly.

“On a clear day we can see Gilbert, Huxley and Nevada from the operation room,” Stewart said.

In the operation room officers can monitor cameras that are mounted around the stadium.

For any football game, there are 10 to 12 paramedics able to respond to medical problems in the lots and stadium.

About an hour before the game, an asthmatic student was unresponsive in lot G2 of the student section. Officers in the operation room focused a camera on the student and called for an ambulance.

Even with cameras and a pressbox view of the stadium, there are still some blind spots for the operation room.

Scott White, associate director of recreation services, fills in those spots from on top of the roof of the press box.

From the roof, White watches traffic on the roads around the stadium.

“What we really don’t want is to have it backed up to Highway 30,” White said. “We’ve had that happen for big games.”

The parking division’s job does not end after the game.

“Come Monday morning when we have to figure out what to do with all the tore up turf and potholes, that’ll be us, that’ll be parking division,” Houghton said.