Student tailgate relocates to north side of Dome

Traveling to Oregon last week may have been out of the question for many University of South Dakota fans. But come Saturday, students can start the first home football game of the season against William Penn University on the north side of the DakotaDome at the relocated tailgating spot.

USD officials relocated student tailgating to the northwest side of the Dome next to Dakota Street. Arena construction now occupies the land once used for tailgating next to Coyote Village.

Coyote Tailgate Nation, which includes alumni, will be in the B parking lot of the Dome next to the W.H. Over Museum.

Here’s a map of the new locations:

Thirty spots are available in the student tailgate location. Spots are reserved on a first come, first basis by contacting Lindsay Sparks, director of transitions and student programming, by noon on Thursdays before a home football game.

Tailgating was relocated just south of the DakotaDome at the start of the 2010 football season. The move coincided with the opening of Coyote Village and increased parking spots.

Sparks said at a Student Government Association meeting that there were still spots available in the new location as of Tuesday. Rule changes to student tailgating requires students to have tags to drive their car into the designated area, she said.

The new location led USD officials to change the student entrance. Students with tickets for the student section will enter through a large garage door near the tailgate to a new set of bleachers that were installed during the summer.

Sparks said a radio station will be playing music at the tailgate and that students can earn Paw Points, a rewards system at USD where students can win prizes, by staying the whole game.

To inform people about the changes and what to expect at the first home game, USD created a video that included students at the Dome.