Only in Raleigh will you see a vehicle on a Saturday bumbling down the road at 45 mph with a pig cooker on the back spewing smoke and the smell of sizzling pork.

It happens because the administration only allots four hours for tailgating at football games – not nearly enough time to cook a pig properly.

The restriction followed the tailgate shootings of 2004 – a tragic event. However, the administration has still failed to explain how the shooting correlates with a tailgate time restriction.

It also cites rowdy students as a reason for the restriction, but the correlation between tailgate time and excited fans is also unclear.

Chancellor James L. Oblinger has agreed to re-establish a Football Task Force annually – four student representatives have already been named.

Before the task force even sets its official priorities, we recommend that it focuses its attention on the time restriction – pass-outs should not be at the top of the list.

In fact, we think it is reasonable to bargain away the pass-outs altogether in exchange for tailgating to start at sunrise on game days.

The argument of the administration is that the longer the tailgating hours are, the more time students have to drink and become unruly.

But alumni who perch themselves in Vaughn Towers and drink throughout the duration of games essentially have free reign up there with the opportunity to get rowdy – not to mention fresh pig.

The principle the administration has set forth – longer exposure to a tailgating atmosphere allows more time to get drunk, is contradicted by the privileges granted in Vaughn Towers.

We know the administration and student leaders can come up with good policies – the new ticketing procedures at football games for example, which were successful at the end of last season and shouldn’t be tampered with this season. So why not continue that trend?

Zach Adams, Student Senate president, is proposing a one-hour extension to tailgating; moving it to five hours prior to kickoff – but that won’t cut it.

There is no reason to nickel and dime the administration for more hours each year – the issue of lacking tailgate hours won’t go away until a reasonable and fair solution is implemented.

N.C. State is rare in that it is still possible to have fun at a football game regardless of whether the team wins or loses.

Football is more than entertainment here. It is a social event, a time to get together and have a good time – not to worry about undercooked barbecue.