Update: Permanent alcohol ban at the Indian Center

By: Kayla Bremer
kbremer@klkntv.com

This weekend some Husker fans will have to find a different place to tailgate if they want to drink.

In a 4 to 3 vote Monday night, the Indian Center Board of Directors decided alcohol is no longer permitted on the non–profit’s grounds.

“Everything else is exactly the same,” board member Wayne Svoboda said. “No alcohol.”

This comes a month after a rowdy tailgate party before the Husker–Miami game on Sept. 20th. Police issued nearly 30 tickets after tailgaters threw beer bottles, cans and rocks at buses filled with fans.

“It’s ironic I think that the inappropriate behavior of some intoxicated mostly white people will now result in a loss of tens of thousands of dollars to the Indian Center to provide services to needy people,” Svoboda said.

Svoboda, who voted against the ban, says members discussed several ideas during the two hour meeting. He suggested increasing security or prohibiting walk–ins.

Georgiana Lee, also a board member, says alcohol should have never been allowed in the first place.

“I myself do consider the powwow grounds and the fireplace as sacred places that we should not be allowing alcohol or drugs around,” Lee said. “Period.”

Board members say football parking brings in an estimated $70,000 a season. After the Sept. 20th incident, they voted to ban alcohol for the next home game.

Svoboda says profits fell from the usual $10,000 to $15,000 per game to around $1,500. He says they’ll have to look for new ways to raise funds or cut services.

One thing the board does want people to know is the Indian Center will still be open to the public on game days for parking and tailgating, just without the booze.

The board will hold another meeting in November to discuss future funding options if they continue to see a drop in revenue on game days.