The Government of the Student Body is considering endorsing a proposal previously made in the summer by a university official as a possible solution to the tailgating issue — a solution that may mean students would have to sacrifice alcohol for a stadium parking lot.

During its Wednesday meeting, GSB introduced and considered a recommendation to create an alcohol-free, student designated parking spot in Lot S-4 as an appropriate compromise and solution to the tailgating issue. Beginning this fall, student tailgaters were moved from the parking lots directly by Jack Trice Stadium to the grass areas across Elwood Drive and Lot B-3.

The newly introduced senate resolution is based off of a proposal made during the summer by Vice President for Student Affairs Thomas Hill. During meetings

this summer between the university, athletic department, National Cyclone Club and students held to discuss the tailgating changes, Hill proposed giving students spaces next to the stadium, but requiring those spaces to be alcohol-free, so as to address university concerns about underage and dangerous drinking behavior.

“Students are interested in tailgating and this provides them the opportunity to do that closer to the stadium, which is what students I have listened to have said were their concerns,” Hill said. “The best way I felt we could do that while addressing the problem with underage and dangerous drinking that takes place during tailgating is to have the lot be alcohol-free. No alcohol means no alcohol problems.”

Hill said he believes the students present at the meeting did not endorse the proposal because there wasn’t time for them to seriously consider it.

“Things happened very rapidly and people didn’t have time to think about it,” he said. “After having time to think about it now, [those students and GSB] decided it was a good idea.”

Hill said both he and Dean of Students Pete Englin fully support the bill.

“If students decide to be alcohol-free, it will be a good time,” he said.

Author of the bill and Off-Campus Senator William Rock said, “The university did express concern with alcohol problems in the four lots that were general parking last year, and they made the proposal. We decided we need student presence near the stadium and this is the most viable option.”

President Mike Banasiak and Vice Speaker of the Senate Rock met with Athletic Director Bruce Van De Velde following GSB’s refusal last week to distribute fifty student parking passes given by the athletic department through a random selection process.

Banasiak said during that meeting, Van De Velde admitted he and the athletic department made a mistake by not involving students to the extent they should have in the decision-making process.

He said Van De Velde also expressed that he is willing to move students closer to the stadium if the university is also willing to do so.

Rock said the bill hadn’t been finalized before the meeting with Van De Velde, but he did inform him GSB was planning on looking into all of its options and creating new discussion on the issue. He said Van De Velde welcomed the new discussion.

Banasiak said this discussion led Van De Velde to agree to the creation of two new student positions on the National Cyclone Club Advisory Board. Banasiak said the National Cyclone Advisory Board was the group that decided on the parking change. Banasiak and Rock currently hold the two newly created positions.

“This was the compromise that presented itself,” Banasiak said. “It’s a good starting point and a good temporary solution.”

The lot GSB is considering to use is currently occupied by game day operation staff, including security and grounds crews, concessionaires, ushers and some marketing staff, said Tom Kroeschell, communications manager for the athletic department.

Kroeschell said special events are also held in the lot. He said during the University of Northern Iowa game the lot was used to display about 30 classic cars, and the lot is scheduled to display Harley Davidson motorcycles for the Ohio University game and ESPN The Magazine booths for the University of Iowa game.

“We have a lot of people who put on a game and they need that parking access for their jobs,” Kroeschell said.

One student voiced heavy disapproval and concern at the meeting over GSB’s decision to consider such a compromise to solve the tailgating issue.

Josh Kohlhaas, senior in community and regional development, told the senate during an open forum for students they shouldn’t have to compromise.

“It shouldn’t be a compromise because the parking lots were ours and [the athletic department] has no grounds to take it away,” Kohlhaas said. “The only reason they’re taking it away is because of money, and I wish GSB wouldn’t mask it over as something else.”

He also said he is worried about the difference in people’s definitions of the word “temporary” in the bill.

“Temporary for [students] is a year, yet temporary for the athletic department might mean 20 years,” Kohlhaas said. “This compromise won’t benefit students and it won’t get what we want, because we want our lots back and we want to be able to drink in them.”

Kory Mertz, junior in political science, said he agrees with Kohlhaas. He said he believes a majority of students will take the grass lots over an alcohol-free space next to the stadium

Rock said GSB will talk to students before its next meeting, when it will take a vote on the bill, to see if the resolution is in their best interest.

“The resolution will represent student opinion,” he said.