Homecoming 2009 under Martial Law

The Class of 2008 showed up to party at tailgates on Nov 14. I never had doubts, even when I heard the news that the Class of 2007 had abandoned the idea of a tailgate this year because of worries that not enough people would show up. Our class officers teamed up with 09 to rent a tent and create a wonderful spread of hoagies (starring the beloved Fat Lady), beer and warm apple cider with spiced rum.

But something was different about Homecoming this year. It was like the campus was under Martial Law. The first thing that welcomed me as I walked onto the muddy tailgate field was a University-endorsed sign, including curfew hours and a notice to “observe local and state ordinances for public conduct.” What they really mean is no fraternity pledge showdowns and no walking around with open containers. Public Safety flexed its muscles by hauling off a few mud-covered pledges after catching them in the midst of the annual wrestling match in that disgusting ‘pond’ next to the tailgating area. I can’t say I’m sad about that one.

What I didn’t understand was Public Safety’s defacto war on kegs. Our unofficial class alcohol chair, Tim Boardman, called Public Safety a week early to ensure that he could buy kegs for our tailgate. We weren’t buying kegs to look cool or be fratty, we were buying them to get the most liquid for our class dollars, simple optimization. But Public Safety changed their minds when Tim showed up to the event with the kegs, meaning that he had to request that Varsity Liquors do us a favor and switch them for cans of Beast. Good thing the local alcohol store has reasonable owners.

When the clock struck 1 p.m., everybody turned to see a public safety car with its lights flashing red and blue and its siren blaring. Had there been a disaster? No, it was just time to go to the game. Didn’t you read the rules board that said that “all patrons should proceed to the game at start time”? Grant Gittlin made a noble attempt to talk some sense into one officer, but the rules could not be broken.

So off to the game we went. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a supporter of the Princeton Football team, but this is a new low that they have to mandate that people go to the game. A fan base cannot be forced; it must be inspired by a team’s record/general school spirit and loyalty. I will say that I was happy to make it to the game before half time when members of the 1964 Football team marched onto the field. The big screen showed black and white clips of the old stadium brimming with fans as the 1960s team crushed adversaries like Yale. It was a reminder of the school spirit that used to exist without the need for rules about attendance.