University of Georgia student leaders want to reverse a handful of tailgating restrictions for the 2011 football season.

The Student Government Association met with the university’s game day committee to discuss the changes, which students say drove away tailgaters in the historic North Campus area.

“Students feel as though they are unwelcome to tailgate on North Campus, whether that be true or not,” said Student Body President Josh Delaney. “That’s the PR problem that happened with the policy.”

SGA wants to overturn bans on tents and tables longer than four feet. The students also want to eliminate a restriction on tailgating more than four hours before a game, a rule Delaney called arbitrary.

“If we have a 7 p.m. game, no one’s going to be out there with a stopwatch waiting for 3 o’clock when they can start setting up,” he said. “Especially with pre-game activities tending to start around 5, we just thought that that was a pretty stifling time restriction.”

The rules were implemented last year after the lawn was destroyed and trash littered the North Campus area after games. UGA officials said it took hours to clean up after games.

Delaney said SGA is not fighting the bans on grills, TVs, kegs, generators and household furniture in North Campus to try to protect the area.

University officials said tailgaters had a chance to police themselves before the new rules were implemented in 2010 but they did not do so.

UGA President Michael Adams has said he is willing to review tailgating rules yearly and make changes if they’re needed.

Tags: UGA, tailgating, Georgia football, tailgating rules, Student Government Association