Tennessee Tech providing students with free tickets and charter bus transportation to attend an upcoming away football game against Chattanooga.
Assistant Director of Student Activities and Campus Life Molly Webb said the university is organizing the trip to support the football team during a game located close to the Cookeville campus. Webb said this initiative marks the second time the institution has provided such travel arrangements following a similar trip to a game against Kentucky last fall.
“We’re all really, really excited about Tennessee Tech football this year as I think most of Cookeville is and all of the university of course,” Webb said. “And so when we, you know, had a game so close by it made sense to take as many students down there as we could.”
Webb said the university expects to transport approximately 100 students to the game. Webb said the package includes snacks and other extras to ensure students have a positive experience during the holiday weekend.
“Yeah, I mean we just want to make sure that the students have the best experience possible, especially knowing that it’s a holiday weekend, they have a lot of stuff they could do with their time,” Webb said. “We want to make sure that they’re excited to cheer on the Golden Eagles.”
Webb said the travel opportunity is particularly beneficial for students who did not bring personal vehicles to campus this year. Webb said the Department of Student Engagement views these athletic events as a primary way to build community among the student body.
“A lot of the work that we do in student affairs is about building community and ultimately I think that we see a lot of that with sports as well, really brings people together,” Webb said. “So we’re super excited about the football season.”
Webb said the university remains open to organizing future travel opportunities for away games based on student interest. Webb said the department prioritizes programming that aligns with direct feedback from the students.
“We’re always listening to student feedback and just truly trying to do what kind of programming they are interested in,” Webb said. “That’s what we’re here for.”
Webb said the university has also launched a new student tailgate park located directly outside of Tucker Stadium for home games. Webb said student organizations are hosting tailgates at the site to revitalize the pre-game experience on campus.
“It’s really breathed a new life into student tailgating,” Webb said. “So we’ll be out there for every game and then of course we’ll have lots of activities going on around homecoming coming up the second weekend of November.”
Tennessee Tech will continue these student engagement activities through the homecoming festivities scheduled for November.
