<p>So Duke administration is supposedly shutting down Tailgate (for this weekend at the very least, but possibly forever). I, as an ED applicant, am less than pleased about this. Im sure all you Duke students on the board are quite familiar with whats going on, but applicants like myself and others probably aren't. I went to my first Tailgate a few weeks ago, and it was awesome. </p>
<p>If Tailgate is in fact shut down, and I am lucy enough to get accepted, I will be incredibly angry. This might have been a scary incident that could and should have been prevented, but Tailgate is huge at Duke. Some probably dont enjoy it, but most (from what I have learned) love it. And from personal experience, its a lot of fun. </p>
<p>Check out the Facebook group "Main Quad Throwdown" also to see what students are saying. </p>
<p>If you have absolutely no idea what Tailgate is (Shame on you! :) ) then this will give you a quick glimpse of it: College</a> Experiment: Hot Girl - Duke</p>
<p>Basically, Im upset. And Im not even a student. Tailgate is unique to Duke, a heck of a lot of fun, and its things like Tailgate that make me want to go there. Duke is supposed to be the fun, smart school. But if administration cracks down on everything like this because of one small incident, Im going to start having second thoughts. What do you guys think?</p>
<p>As a parent of an ED applicant, I take the opposite view. The linked video showed nothing to recommend Tailgate as an institution. I like drunken debauchery as much as the next guy, but this seemed lame and sophomoric. I’m not surprised that a HS senior is among its fans. I’d agree with one of the students quoted in the video, who said it reminded him of high school.</p>
<p>As for the linked news article, it seemed pretty balanced, and it seems to me that the administration acted responsibly. It also seems that one of the quotes in the article was inadvertantly cut off:
is how it was reported, but I think the full quote might have been
<p>I think the cancellation was a little drastic, especially since there’s only one more left this year. It probably would have been better to institute a Duke student only policy for the last tailgate and then suspend it pending a review for the future.</p>
<p>Sherpa, I understand that as a parent you probably take the opposite view. I also agree that the administration acted the right way in response to what happened, but like SBR said, I think it was way too drastic. More people go to Tailgate than the football games at Duke, its a huge thing there. And taking away the seniors last tailgate out of no where is a little unfair to them. </p>
<p>The article was in fact well balanced, and both sides have their arguments. Im not saying the administration or that article are wrong, Im just pointing it out to everyone for discussion. </p>
<p>Ill admit, I could do without the beer pouring. But thats not the focus of Tailgate. Its mostly people dancing and having a good time. Are you really saying that you never liked to party in college, or never like to sometimes just have a good time and act a little immature? Its college.</p>
<p>And by the way, that guy in the video that said “It feels like my high school” was a Bama fan there at the normal tailgate. He was referring to that, not the Duke student Tailgate. Talk about manipulating quotes.</p>
I’ve partied pretty hard before, in, and after college. Note my comment above about debauchery.</p>
<p>And act immature? Yes, just ask my wife and kids.</p>
<p>My opposing view is not because I’m anti-drinking, anti-fun, or anti-party. In fact, I’m proud and happy that my oldest child attends a college famous for, among other thing, their Eating (Drinking) Clubs.</p>
<p>My opposing view is more a reaction to what I saw as the immaturity of those portrayed in the video. You’re right that I missed that the one dude was a Bama fan. Also, I was probably biased because of the silly production angle and the “hot girl” captions on the video.</p>
<p>This story hasn’t changed my positive opinion about Duke. The LAX scandal didn’t ruin Duke in my eyes. Why would this? </p>
<p>You seem like a reasonable person. Good luck with your ED application.</p>
<p>Haha yeah, that video was not portrayed in the way it should have been. Stupid Fox Sports. It was just the only video I could find that showed the actually Tailgate happening. They definitely produced it to fit that “Hot Girl” theme. </p>
<p>Thanks for the kind words. Duke is a great place, and good look to your son/daughter with their application as well!</p>
<p>Taking away tailgate is taking away what separates Duke from the other academically excellent universities. What makes Duke unique is that even though the student body is marked by their academically superior abilities, they still maintain (in my view) a perfect balance between their school work and social lives without infringing on the ideal college experience. Yes, this may be one single event that the administration may be taking away forever, but this is one of the events that distinguishes Duke. The reason that this school took precedence in my college applications, and the reason that I applied early decision was due to this ideal balance between life and work. It surely is a shame to see Tailgate go, it will be sorely missed.</p>
<p>At the same time there is far more to this school then tailgate. The fact that tailgate as an official event is cancelled makes little difference in my eyes since people are still going to have a ton of chances to drink/have fun/whatever. Besides, basketball is where it’s at. Tailgate before a football game is just a formality.</p>
<p>I personally am glad that students are so up in arms about Tailgate cancellation…shows we must not have many real problems to worry about. NICE :)</p>