When Iowa State begins its football season Saturday against Northern Iowa, students will once again be able to tailgate in a lot near the stadium.

In an agreement reached this summer between ISU administrators, students and other interests, Lot S-4 became a public parking lot with clearance for alcohol consumption on game days. Last year, the lot was converted into a space for gameday operations after administrators became concerned with what they defined as the high-risk drinking behaviors of student tailgaters.

This summer’s agreement reversed ISU administrators’ decision from last year forbidding students or the public to tailgate in lots around the stadium and instead designated the lots as parking for members of the National Cyclone Club. The grass lots surrounding the stadium became the only public parking available.

Andrew Tugan, Ames City Council liaison for the Government of the Student Body, said the Dean of Students office, GSB, the Department of Public Safety, risk management coordinators and representatives from the athletic department, among others, negotiated a plan to reopen the lot to tailgaters.

Tugan was a member of the now-defunct Student Gameday Experience Committee last year, which brought together different groups for tailgating negotiations.

“There will be an increased awareness on tailgating laws, but no new rules were created,” Tugan said. “So, such things as the no beer keg policy will be enforced more tightly.”

Tugan said when tailgaters occupied Lot S-4 before the space was taken away, rule-breakers were only occasionally challenged by ISU Police and other officials.

“When people had beer funnels in the past, some were confiscated. Now all would be,” Tugan said. “I don’t want to say it’s a stricter enforcement, it’s just making sure that people who are blatantly breaking the law won’t get away with it.”

Tugan said there will not be a noticeable increase in the presence of ISU police officers, but they will serve a more effective and positive purpose.

ISU Police Capt. Gene Deisinger said there would be a few more officers present Saturday, but their numbers would be comparable to previous years.

Deisinger said the ISU Police and the Story County Sheriff’s departments will share the majority of the monitoring duties in the tailgating lot this year, as the Ames Police will spend most of its resources working inside Jack Trice Stadium.

Deisinger said that ISU Police will be increasing outreach efforts to tailgaters this year.

“We are looking at having a lot of positive contacts with people in the lead up to the game, and we’ll have police officers out there several hours before the game to encourage tailgaters to act responsibly,” he said.

For example, Deisinger said, bike officers might be seen playing football and kick the can with tailgaters to encourage outreach. However, with the spotlight on outreach and creating positive relations, he said, the police will still enforce the law.

GSB President Sophia Magill said GSB members will be near Lot S-4 on Saturday, working alongside volunteers from the Dean of Students office.

“GSB leaders will be there, not so much to enforce anything, but more to be there to get people to go into the game, enjoy it and learn more about the new [tailgating] policy,” Magill said.