ATHENS, Ga. --- The tailgaters won't be wagging the Dogs anymore.

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Trash left behind by tailgaters litters North Campus at the University of Georgia early in the morning after the Bulldogs’ November football game against Auburn.

STORY: UGA takes tailgate action

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After another football season marred by the continuous pregame destruction of University of Georgia's historic North Campus by abusive revelers, the school has had enough of the "slumdog" culture.

On Thursday the president's cabinet, without opposition, approved a new game-day plan that will abolish most of the elements that have created the uncontrolled trashing of the centerpiece of the school's shady campus across from downtown Athens.

"I want to compliment the committee that did this plan," said UGA President Michael Adams before the cabinet vote of approval. "They've struck a happy medium between doing nothing and banning tailgating on North Campus altogether."

I'm sure many Bulldogs fans and pregame partygoers might not be so happy with rules designed to thwart their trash-and-binge abuse of the treasured property. To those who complain, too bad. You brought this on yourselves with a complete lack of restraint and manners.

After years of taking measured steps to try to encourage tailgaters to curb their disgraceful culture of trashing the campus they claim to love, the university didn't hold much back this time.

The first key step was closing North Campus to tailgaters until four hours before kickoff instead of the 7 a.m. starting time implemented in 2006. With television dictating more night games, the all-day revelry invited too much overindulging and damage.

But the policy that will really strike the heart of the matter is the new banned items list. No more will people be able to haul in tents, kegs, grills, cookers, generators, TVs, amplified music systems, large tables or household furniture.

"There will be those who think we've gone too far and those who think we've not gone far enough," said Tom Jackson, the vice president of public affairs.

It is the culture that went too far. Tom Landrum, the senior vice president for external affairs, said his mind was made up when it was reported somebody set up a portable dance floor on North Campus.

"That was an indication to me that it had gone beyond the standard approach of tailgating," Landrum said. "You can enjoy and benefit from the experience on North Campus without all the accoutrements that have become part of it in recent years."

Those accoutrements were destroying the signature grounds between the famous arch off Broad Street and the library as well as Herty Field. It imperiled the root system of the trees while the grass was destroyed so thoroughly last fall that it still hasn't recovered.

"We can't let it continue to be turned into a swamp," Adams said. "We have to protect the trees and the quality of life throughout the campus."

This is a common-sense approach to a situation that was angering alumni and causing embarrassment to the school's reputation. The correspondence on the subject was overwhelmingly critical of the on-campus behavior of tailgaters, prompting the school to act more forcefully to resolve it.

Of course, others will complain that this changes the way they'll spend game days - which is the point entirely. The term "tailgate" comes from the practice of socializing in parking lots around the open tailgate of your own vehicles. Somewhere along the way, the quaint practice grew out of hand.

"We want to change the face of the tailgating experience on North Campus," said Tim Burgess, the senior vice president for finance and administration who led the game-day planning committee. "Make it a different type of experience more consistent with the historic nature of the campus."

Fans who still want to act like drunken animals and leave tons of filth behind will have to seek other open spaces, such as Legion Field, to do their thing.

But don't expect to just relocate the boorishness. The new plan also prohibits bringing any pull-behind items such as trailers and cookers in all parking areas, and using golf carts or ATVs. It also forbids parking on sidewalks.

They plan to enforce the policy prohibiting setting up tents and tables in all parking spaces, allowing more room for the 92,000 fans who pack Sanford Stadium to stow their cars.

"People get used to what's allowed and what's not allowed," said Damon Evans, UGA's athletic director. "Two, three or five years from now, this will be the norm. You move, adapt and adjust. At the end of the day, we're trying to do what's most appropriate to protect this campus and provide an environment that's conducive to tailgating and a good game-day experience for our fans."

Being forced to clean up their act is a good thing. Georgia tailgaters might learn to like the experience of walking across their campus on game days with a sense of pride instead of repulsion.