ASG will host its second annual Wildcat Tailgate Saturday before the ‘Cats face the University of Iowa in Northwestern’s final home football game.
The campus-wide tailgate will be held at the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary parking lot from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Attendees are promised free food, music, t-shirts and purple “spirit towels.”
ASG clerk Niabi Schmaltz, who organized the tailgate, said the event will provide a venue for students to express their school spirit responsibly.
“Just taking a look at other colleges who are like us, they all have responsible tailgates,” the Weinberg sophomore said. “And that’s something that Northwestern is lacking. I think that there’s something really special about rallying the entire student body around an event. The tailgate is a perfect opportunity to do that.”
ASG has reserved both the Garrett parking lot and the field next to the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center in anticipation of a large attendance. The buses that run from campus to Ryan Field will pick up students near Garrett, which Schmaltz hopes will draw a larger crowd than last year’s tailgate.
“Buses are leaving from Garrett, so really, there’s no reason not to go,” Schmaltz said. “You can stop by before the game and just hop on a bus right there. Last year we got about 150 people to stop by, but this year we’ve expanded exponentially.”
University President Morton Schapiro is invited to make an appearance, but Schmaltz said he hasn’t given a definite response.
“We’re going to try to rope him in to come and stop by,” Schmaltz said.