It often seems like the primary reason some kids go off to college is to get "trashed." At Georgia, that slang term literally works both ways.
Despite the concerted efforts of the university administration to encourage football game-day revelers to act like humans instead of barbarians and clean up their act, the boorishness goes on unabated.
Once again, the masses who flocked to Georgia's shaded North Campus for an all-day party before Saturday's 7 p.m. kickoff of the rivalry game against Auburn turned the centerpiece of the campus into something that resembled a set for Slumdog Millionaire .
They'll bring another 70 tons or so of garbage to litter the campus they claim to love one more time this Saturday before the 2009 home finale against Kentucky. The pattern of abuse has become so ingrained that no amount of reason can stop it.
"Saturday was a bad day," said George Stafford, the associate vice president for auxiliary and administrative services at Georgia. "North Campus was as crowded as it's ever been and the trash was awful."
If you have ever walked through Georgia's scenic North Campus after a home game, you've seen and smelled what thousands of besotted fans are capable of doing. The most beloved acreage on the grounds between the famous arch across Broad Street from downtown to the library gets transformed into a spontaneous landfill every Saturday of a home football game.
To sum it up in a word -- disgraceful. It is a blight on the university's reputation. Word about the embarrassing and disrespectful way that many students and alumni treat their own campus is spreading. It reached all the way to Arizona in September when a Phoenix newspaper warned any Arizona State fans making the trip to Georgia to be prepared.
"All football fans enjoy talking a little trash," The Arizona Republic reported, "but Georgia fans prefer to roll around in it."
The situation on North Campus is so bad that the school has to close the library on game days because, as the student newspaper Red & Black reported earlier this year, "so many people were peeing in the stacks, vomiting in the stairwell and getting into fights in the lobby that the people who worked (there) got fed up with all the abuse."
Now there's something any institution of higher education can be so proud of.
It must make the university proud. It certainly did its president, whose office overlooks the North Campus quad, when he and his father drove down Broad Street on Sunday morning after the South Carolina game on their way to church and saw the carnage.
"It was a disgrace the way the campus was left," Michael Adams said in September before starting an initiative to alter the culture of destructiveness that has been allowed to fester for too long.
So Georgia began running video announcements on the Sanford Stadium scoreboard asking fans to reduce the amount of trash by using reusable containers and to clean up after themselves utilizing plastic bags and recycling containers provided.
"We hope people will heed to the pleas and carry out what they carry in and respect the campus," said Tom Jackson, the university's vice president of public affairs.
That hope is all but lost. While officials say the current approach seems to have helped in other tailgating areas around the stadium, it has had no effect on the younger crowd that uses the North Campus as their tailgating arena/mosh pit on game days.
And since the Southeastern Conference sold out completely to television and left all kickoff time decisions to the networks, Georgia has played more night games than ever, allowing the destruction to escalate along with the extended hours for alcohol consumption.
"We're very concerned about it," Stafford said. "There's so much time for people to gather and party. It bothers me. I don't understand."
Actually, Stafford does understand the predominant catalyst -- alcohol.
"So many of them are drinking, and when it's consumed good judgment goes out the window," he said.
Having spent almost every Saturday of college football season at some stadium since I was 5, I can say with relative certainty that while the drinking may be a common thread at most university tailgates, the trashed campuses are not. A week after the South Carolina-game campus carnage at UGA, I walked through the tailgate areas an hour after a Clemson home game and there was no loose trash anywhere to be found, and what people left were neatly bundled in bags for the cleaning crews to collect and haul off. The parking lots across the street from South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium are filled with trash bags after the tailgaters leave, but it's a parking lot.
Georgia fans have failed this cursory etiquette drill. There is no Toomer's Corner toilet paper kind of charm to the trashing that goes on in Bulldog Nation.
There is no excuse for the gross negligence these revelers are displaying. As of now, Georgia hasn't forbidden open alcohol containers on campus or issued citations for littering. And it hasn't restricted the on-campus areas where pedestrian fans can "tailgate."
But that should change. The asking-nicely approach hasn't gotten through the thick skulls of these buffoons who are content to trash everything and let someone else clean up their mess. The athletic association pays a disposal company to bring in crews that require five to six hours just to bag all of the trash left behind on North Campus before it can be hauled to the dump.
They can't do anything to fix the damage done to the campus's cherished lawns and trees.
"What's lost is the damage to the grounds or the root systems," Stafford said. "It's a muddy mess."
Campus police should start issuing littering and public drunkenness citations next year and require anyone cited to community service cleaning up their mess on Sunday morning. If that doesn't work, try banning open alcohol containers on campus. That will get the alumni base's attention.
"I don't know what the next step is," Stafford said. "But I can tell you that nothing is off the table."
If all else fails, Georgia should ban pre-game parties from its North Campus. Just scrape up a comparable square footage at the local landfill where these disrespectful fans would feel right at home.
Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.
TROUPE GETS OPPORTUNITY
ATHENS, Ga. --- A.J. Green's shoulder injury gives Israel Troupe his long-awaited opportunity to play up to the high expectations as a starter.
Green, the Southeastern Conference's leading receiver, will not play in Saturday night's game against Kentucky after injuring his left shoulder in last week's win over Auburn. Coach Mark Richt said Green is not expected to need surgery, but it's possible Green will not return before the Bulldogs' bowl game.
Troupe helped keep the offense moving by making a 50-yard touchdown catch in the 31-24 win over Auburn.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Good article, clean up or get out. If the idiots can do better ban open containers, that will get their attention. I'm all for having a good time but you don't have to destroy the surroundings doing it. I'm embarrassed as a UGA fan.
i agree..those pictures are horrible..be respectful and clean it up...just cause this year's season is in the dumps doesn't mean the campus has to be too!!
You cant teach old dogs new tricks----the only way is to fence them out like dogs!
I've never seen dogs make mess as bad as this. The trash left here is by uncivilized, unprincipled, louts.
Being relatively new to the Athens Area, and to tailgating in general, I was under the impression that functions on the North Campus Quad were scheduled and approved, and I was initially told that it was a family friendly area, meaning no alcohol. When I became aware that the tailgaters were first come first serve in this area, and that they often trashed the area and damaged the grounds, I was amazed that the problem has not been address. The tailgaters in the parking lots seem to be able to clean up after themselves, on top of paying to park. Why are we allowing people to behave badly in the name of football. UGA needs to take control over this situation. Start by charging a premium to put up a tent and have a party on the grounds. Charge a hefty deposit which is forfeited if the area in not left in order, and refuse to refund the deposit if the grounds are damaged. I can't believe that the University has let to go on for so long.
That's pathetic. I would hate to think that UGA would lose some night games because a select amount of fans cant function as a human after some Jack Daniels gets involved. Although it doesn't look like nearly as much as there was against the Gamecocks, it's still unacceptable.
But at the same time... i've been to every home game for the past few years. We always drive through downtown on the way in, turn left at the varsity and park in the Clarke Central High lot. Anyone who has ever driven through downtown on gameday and passes by North Campus can easily make out tailgaters sporting other colors than Red and Black! It's funny that Mr. Michaux made a remark about North Campus being in the Arizona paper... because North Campus was the ONLY place i saw Arizona State fans tailgating and contributing to the mess! I'm sure there were other Sun Devils tailgating elsewhere, but none i saw. There was plenty of Auburn fans in North Campus this past weekend... Its a problem for both teams, unfortunately, its on our campus.
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It's a terrible trend with the newer generations. remember when Ft Lauderdale and Daytona wanted "spring breakers". Remember when Savannah wanted St Patrick's Day or when Myrtle Beach wanted bikers?
GREAT article Scott. Excellent. How embarrassed does this make me feel to be part of the human race...not to mention a fan of UGA with family ties to this institution for over 130 years....Being young AND STUPID is one thing but this transcends into a DEEPER problem with society in general... i guess they think the "GIVErnMEnt is supposed to take care of their trash too....
Couple of things...this is an awful way for these tailgaters to act! I mean, it doesn't take much of an intelligence to see that you're leaving trash behind. And, since your momma's not at your tailgate, nobody is responsible for cleaning up after the mess you leave behind but YOU! We've been to every home game for years...decades...and we've never left trash behind like that! The problem is in the North Campus, so don't punish the other areas of tailgaters with ridiculous fees and registrations! Police the North Campus! That easy. Now, the second thing I want to say is that I've been to almost every SEC campus and I've seen trash left behind at just about all of them! UGA is not alone here. Look in the parking "field" by Williams-Brice Stadium after one of their games and you'll see another trash-dump! Jacksonville? Georgia Tech? Clemson? Alabama? Auburn? Tennessee? LSU? All the same! The cleanest, IMO, is Vanderbilt and Arkansas. Anyway, this problem concerns the young tailgaters in the North Campus and UGA should concentrate police there. More Port-A-Lets, trash receptacles, and police!Not much will be done this last game. But watch out for restrictions next year!
This is a moral issue with a spiritual core. A few years ago I was with 60,000 men at a Christian Promise Keepers meeting. Everyone ate lunch in the parking lot and the security guard was amazed when the men went back into the stadium. Not one piece of trash in the parking lot; not one. He said he had never seen anything like it. We teach kids and adults they evolved from animals and expect them to have a moral core. If we get God out of enough institutions they will all fail. Tell men they are animals and there is no creator and they will act like it. The education system is doing exactly it has been designed to do and we see the results everyday.
Good point, soldout. I also think it has to do with leadership. If there were enough people who took a role as "leaders" and went ahead and either told others to pick up their trash, or they served as examples themselves by policing their own areas, it would go a long way. Followers generally emulate their leaders.
I've been to many Auburn home games the last few years, (my wife is a graduate) and when we leave the campus it's ALWAYS as clean as when we arrived. She always told me Ga. fans were "the worst". Now I see exactly what she means.
Corporal, I've not been to as many as you have, but I have been to several Auburn games that weren't just against Georgia. My Auburn friend told me that she thought the War Eagles/Tigers/Plainsmen were the worst! LOL! Funny how people see the same things differently, isn't it? BTW, the last couple of times I've left Toomer's Corner after Georgia's played Auburn, it was certainly very clean! Not a roll of toilet paper to be seen! (just kidding!)
What do you expect from a shameless, slovenly, over-fed, wasteful, affluent, egocentric, self-centered, ignorant, attention-deficit-disordered, entertainment-saturated country of fools with an over-developed sense of entitlement? It's not for nothing that the Europeans coined the phrase "the ugly American". To say that we are a culture in steep decline is an understatement. The Romans had bread and circuses in their decline, and we have bread and over-hyped hysteria over stupid sports teams whose power, prestige and popularity are an affront to the purpose of an institution of higher learning. College sports has gotten way out of hand. But in a nation of idiots, we value sports over learning. Half of the players are functionally illiterate and don't even belong in college.
Georgia Bulldog scoreboard: Ashley Brown 1 Scott Michaux 0
And these are the rich kids.... they are used to someone else cleaning up after them.
JohnQ, It isn't so much that they are rich, it's that they are Americans. I suppose if they were poor you would use that as the reason. The people in slum neighborhoods don't throw trash around because they are used to having someone else clean up after them. See my point? Rich and poor alike, they all do it. Our slovenly, course, culture infects all socio-economic classes.
This was a problem when I was a student there many many years ago. But the damage was mainly from alumni and non students. I always thought the school should designate a tailgating area.. such as a large parking lot and forbid the activity elsewhere on campus, especially the historic, scenic north campus.
As I said, most dawg fans are low class or no class
My Chronicle, YOUR AN IDIOT! Only a low class or no class person would make that comment. As an alumni and season ticket holder, I find that offensive. This has been a problem for years, it has just gotten more media attention lately. It is simple folks, put your garbage in the proper receptacle.
look at the entrie picture, our country as a whole, i could post pictures of streets and highways where i live that look this bad...it's sad that it takes a football game to bring to light the subject of littering and the "common", apathetic, ignorant, uncaring character of so many AMERICANS....many of us are just plan nasty (in many ways)....
UGA' s North Campus is by far the worst I have seen. It has not always been this bad though. It started getting really bad when UGA started competing for the SEC Championship regularly. I have been to most SEC schools for games and none of them come close to North Campus when it comes to trash. Bama hired a company to police the Quad during games and they have a lot more people there than are on North Campus yet they have very little trash after games. Auburn and Ole Miss are similar.
Word is that the only time the Georgia Tech stadium restrooms are trashed is when UGA plays there. I don't get it. UGA's campus is beautiful and its students should be proud enough to take care of it! But I'll tell you what...a few years ago, for my daughter's 12th birthday, we got a suite at a hotel and had 8 of her friends for dinner, swimming, etc....basically a slumber party, but in a hotel--ALWAYS with adult supervision. And I was absolutely astounded by the way some of these girls trashed the room...no permanent damage, but I had to clean up for over an hour before checking out the next day. What possesses immature people when they think they're not accountable? Beats me....
That's because the only time anyone is at the Tech game to go to the restroom is when UGA plays there.
jtf, ???????
Children are being taught on a daily basis to not be accountable for their behavior. I deal with it everyday. You fail in school - teacher's fault. You forget your supplies for school - parent's fault. You get caught doing something bad - the other people involved made you do it or influenced you to do it. Talking to kids on daily basis and seeing how many excuses they can come up with other than I screwed up let me fix it will astound you. I was just in a meeting today were I was told that I had to REWARD a kid for doing 1/3 of the work the other kids do. We can't place the blame totally on the young people because the apple doesn't usually fall to far from the tree.
Absolutely inexcusable! Civilized, properly reared people would never leave such a mess. Implement a plan to end the football program if the trash doesn't stop within the next few games. I'll guarantee the REAL Dawg fans would be wippin' asx of these idiots!!!
They need cops out giving tickets for it and big dollar amount tickets at that....
Looks worse than Woodstock.
Soldout had a very valid point. I haven't been to a game in a couple of years but it has been getting worse for several years. The biggest problem is the money the school wants from the TV games. With later games which is what the networks want it gives the people more time to drink. When you include alcohol in a society that much like that good judgment goes completely out the window. They should ban alcohol anywhere on the streets and maybe ban the tailgaters on North Campus but oh that may cut down on some money cause the city and state loves the tax generated on the alcohol sales and the school loves the money from the networks. We are a people sold out to money.