Lafayette College is setting stricter rules for football game days at Fisher Stadium, emphasizing safety and crowd management as the bicentennial season kicks off.
The changes include a clear bag policy along with new tailgating restrictions at Markle Parking Deck.
Andrew Foster, the senior associate athletic director for facilities and operations, said that the shift is about balancing tradition with safety.
“Last year we saw a little bit more of vehicular and pedestrian traffic cross-mixing than we’d like,” Foster said. “With safety being the chief concern, we’re creating a larger, more inclusive tailgate area on the first level of the deck.”
As of the fall 2025 season, fans are encouraged to bring clear bags when attending football games. Patrons bringing a clear bag, or those without a bag, can go through an expedited security line, according to Director of Public Safety Jeff Troxell. All other patrons must go through a separate line, and their bags are subject to search.
The goal of this policy is to allow “the customer to get in quickly” without having to perform a bag search, according to Troxell.
Markle Deck will direct large tailgates of 10 or more people to a designated area on the first level. Smaller groups will be allowed to set up on levels two and three, but Public Safety will require traffic lanes to be kept clear. Before this new policy, tailgating parties of any size were allowed on all three levels.
“The biggest concern is the means of egress and ingress for medical emergencies,” Troxell said. “Tailgaiting is still allowed on the first, second and third level. We’re trying to push some of the major tailgating down to the ground.”
Foster added that the new setup should also allow more cars to fit on the deck, easing parking demands. Students with cars in the deck will still be required to move them before home games.
The first level has already hosted alumni-student tailgates, with DJs and food trucks, which Foster said created “an inviting and cool atmosphere.” He emphasized that the college is open to adapting the plan based on feedback.
Some students, indifferent to most of the changes, had little interest in tailgating at Lafayette in general.
“I really enjoy cooking out and hanging out with my friends before the game, but something about being confined to the parking garage was really off-putting for me,” said Nolan Crandall ‘28. He added that he had little interest in attending this year’s Lafayette-Lehigh game.
“I’m glad they’re addressing the parking concerns while emphasizing safety,” Crandall said of the tailgate changes.
Others compared Lafayette’s tailgating atmosphere to that at Lehigh University.
“A lot of people I know enjoy tailgating more than the actual game itself,” Kenzie Carlson ‘28 said. “My sister, Lehigh class of 2024, always told me no one really went to the rivalry games here because there’s nowhere to tailgate in the same way Lehigh does with the fields.”
“We’re pretty excited about this football season and with the new tailgating area,” Foster said.
Makenna McCall ‘27 contributed reporting.