On sunny skied football game days, swarms of enthusiastic fans flock to Scott Stadium. They come to root for their home team, support their alma mater, and perhaps most importantly, pre-game.
Most season-ticket holders arrive in Charlottesville a few hours prior to the game, filling the parking lots for some quality tailgating, which has become as much a part of the University's football tradition as striped ties and sundresses.
Of course, quality tailgating most commonly includes a considerable amount of alcohol.
So what allows both fans and students alike to bring alcoholic beverages onto school property on game days?
"The Virginia Student Aid Foundation leases the parking spaces in the lots near the stadium from the University on game days," VSAF Executive Director Dirk Katstra said. "We work with the ABC [Alcoholic Beverage Control] Board to determine which lots meet the requirements to allow alcohol consumption."
Only lots reserved for VSAF donors can be licensed for alcohol consumption, Katstra explained. Donors must pay a seasonal fee of $70 and make an annual gift to VSAF of $1,000 or more. Their contributions fund athletic scholarships and support the athletics department.
"It's all based on a points system," said second-year College student Amy VanDeusen, whose family has tailgated in her grandfather's parking spot on the south side of the stadium for over 10 years. "You get so many points for being an alumni. You get so many points for donating to VSAF. You get so many points for donating for so many years. The more you donate and the more points you have, the closer you are to the stadium."
On game days, the lots are cordoned off with rope to assure that fans who consume alcohol stay within the designated areas. Police security is heightened, and signs surrounding the lots read, "No alcohol past this point."
"University, state, Charlottesville and Albemarle County police are all involved in the game day experience," Katstra said. "They work diligently to monitor the crowd of over 60,000."
VanDeusen said tailgating is as much a part of the football tradition as watching the game itself.
"We're there a few hours before the game, and if we win we're there for a few hours after the game," she said. "It makes it more than just a football game. It's a whole day event."
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