At Branford College, another Yale dorm, junior Terelle L. Hairston says that the restrictions have deterred students from trekking north to Harvard this year.

“Quite a few students have indicated to the Branford College Council that they are significantly less interested in attending the game and/or virtually not interested in visiting the tailgate,” Hairston, who is vice president of Branford, writes in an e-mail.

But vice president of Yale’s student government, the Yale College Council (YCC), Chancellor A. Carlisle says he expects the same turnout from Yale as in years past. Despite the changes, he says, Yale students are still foregoing some of their week-long Thanksgiving Break—which starts today—to attend The Game.

“I think the attendance should be on par, and some colleges have had to get extra buses for this year’s game,” says Carlisle.

Tomorrow Ohiri Field will be packed with tailgates hosted by Harvard and Yale student groups. The council has provided 90 spots for Harvard groups including HoCos, out of 150 available spaces on the student tailgate.

Planning the tailgates under the new regulations has been a chore, especially for Yale student leaders who say that it has been hard to find out how to comply.

“I think the hardest part has been the lack of communication between the colleges,” Yale junior Matthew E. Kennard says. “Trying to plan around the regulations that have been put out is a challenge that both Harvard and Yale students share.”

The restrictions have also presented logistical difficulties for Harvard HoCos in planning their tailgates.

“A lot of complications arose because HoCos are paying for centralized alcohol,” Cabot HoCo chair Edward J. Reed ’05 says. “We’ll have some alcohol, but not as much as years past, because we dropped $450 for the beer truck.”

In a bill passed by the Undergraduate Council on Sunday, each HoCo was asked to contribute $450 to pay for a centralized system of distributing beer. This system includes a serving station at the center and two sanctioned beer trucks at opposite ends of Ohiri Field, where the undergraduate tailgate will be held tomorrow, according to Mahan. The council will contribute $2,000, and the College is giving more than $20,000. Yale has agreed to pay $2,000 for the tailgate as well.

While Mahan would not disclose the exact amount of beer being provided by the trucks, he reassured HoCo chairs in a meeting last week that the council planned to purchase more alcohol from their new alcohol distributor, secured after United Liquors withdrew from negotiations in late October.

HOPS AND SCHNAPPS

Aside from the communal beer, HoCo can purchase their own alcohol for their tailgates as well. But since the 2002 Game, kegs have been banned from Harvard’s tailgate, and beer balls—a smaller alternative to kegs—will also be prohibited from Ohiri Field this year. Any kegs present tomorrow will be part of the centralized beer distribution.

Transporting HoCo-specific alcohol is another challenge, says Kalamchi. With a U-Haul ban in place, about 20 Kirkland residents will have to carry liquor across the river tomorrow, he says.

Massachusetts state law stipulates that a person or a vehicle cannot transport more than one gallon of pure alcohol by volume, which is slightly more than one keg of beer.