How tailgating has expanded at Wofford  

On a typical Saturday in the fall, Wofford students can expect a brief break from classes, hints of cooler weather and, many times, a home football game. In the past, students gathered to support their Terriers in Gibbs Stadium, but this year, there is a noticeable difference to where and when students gather for games.  

Instead of heading straight into the stadium, students gather in the Campus Life parking lot a few hours before the football games to tailgate.  

So what prompted this change?  

Drew Reynolds, ’21, said, “I wanted to expand [tailgates]…to get some good bonds and fellowship between students of various organizations.” Reynolds, Committee Chair of WAR, partnered with Jacorie McCall, ’21, and Luke Lovell, ’20, Campus Union student body secretary and president, respectively, to expand attendance at football games and give Wofford students the chance to meet new people and have fun with friends.  

“I do not feel we invested into tailgating, I feel we invested in students,” said Jacorie McCall, ’21, when asked about the motivation behind the tailgates. “The idea was to think of a way students all could hang out. Every student on this campus [isn’t] in a fraternity or sorority but every student is a Wofford fan.”  

In terms of success, Reynolds said, “the first one was definitely a big success; we had a lot of people show up and it was a great turn-out.” These two tailgates have been such a hit that, as Reynolds clarified, they even picked up an Ingles sponsorship. This means that Ingles provides the food and drinks and, as demonstrated by the tailgate on Sept. 21, sometimes selects the live bands for these events.  

Aside from food, drinks and live entertainment, students can expect to see different organizations reserving spots and encouraging others to come join the tailgate and, afterward, cheer on the Terriers at the football games.   

A general concern for these tailgates is safety. Both WAR and Campus Union  have been working with Campus Safety to keep these events secure, including integrating more “Sober Party Monitors and EPI [security guards]…as [the tailgates] get bigger and bigger every week,” said McCall. Reynolds also noted that security distributes “wristbands to 21-year-olds so everybody can appropriately enjoy the tailgate.”  

Campus Union and WAR are looking forward to more tailgates throughout the season. In particular, the tailgate on Nov. 16, which will probably take place after the Furman game, because it is earlier in the day. In regard to this tailgate, Reynolds commented, “that’ll be pretty good, especially after we win.”   

Reynolds and McCall both agreed that overall feedback from the tailgates has been positive and mentioned that student attendance at the games has gone up because of the tailgates. Even so, representatives from the organizations are always open to feedback from students to determine how the tailgates can be better for everyone!