Former NIU offensive tackle Dale Berman has tailgated outside the west end of Huskie Stadium for every home game since he graduated in 1960.

Berman makes a $1,000 yearly contribution to NIU to park his van and drink beer, eat food – including a complete shrimp platter – and enjoy the sunny day under a tent before Saturday football games, he said.

The price for his coveted spot dwarfed the $25 Huskie Club car passes NIU administrators mandated for tailgating parking spaces this year.

The change sent whole groups of students rallying for money for single cars and single parking passes.

“We have one car for 20 people,” said Amanda Pfaff, a sophomore visual communications major.

Changes also opened up an unreserved, non-Huskie Club parking on the east end of Huskie Stadium. Police officers directed cars that filled up the open spaces.

Beer-drinking, bratwurst-cooking college students mingled and parked next to older tailgaters to relish the summer day.

“Tailgating is an awesome experience, and it bonds us through the consumption of alcohol,” said Andrew Bokermann, a sophomore undecided major.

Bokermann started tailgating an hour and a half after his fraternity raised its banner over the fraternity’s car, he said.

While his friends tailgated on the east end of Huskie Stadium, junior criminology major Josh Stork tailgated just east of the baseball field.

The east side of the baseball field and the NIU soccer field had a more reserved and quiet atmosphere with more open space to toss Frisbees, fire up grills and throw footballs around.

Everybody in his fraternity pitched in to pay for the $25 club membership and $25 parking pass, but Stork said his personal investment wasn’t worth it.

“We’re paying $50 to park next to a family with three kids,” Stork said. The family atmosphere mixed poorly and detracted from the wild party atmosphere, he said.

Senior corporate communication major Adam Magill hosted a party in the flatbed of his truck, where 10 people danced. This year, tailgating felt much safer due to the parking regulations, Magill said.

“I’ve been tailgating for four years now,” Magill said. “Now, it’s better because there is no more riff-raff running around.”