The photographs of the 2011 Homecoming on the Tribune website tell only one side — the good — of this past weekend’s story. Long-standing Mizzou tailgaters were subjected to mobs of drunken youths who rampaged through Lot X. In their wake they left broken glass beer bottles, cans, and litter such that driving in these areas was impossible lest one surely get a flat tire. (I can provide the photographic proof.) My tailgate party members were concerned for their safety and the safety of their property. While police were available and appreciated, they did what they could. But their numbers are insufficient. The University needs to recognize this growing problem before it escalates even further. The official “briefcase” of tailgating appears to be a blue case of (insert brand name here) beer. Hundreds of youths walk the campus carrying their briefcases with, apparently, total disregard for the law and safety of others. The University must ensure this practice come to an immediate and permanent halt. Perhaps it ought to take a close look at how other universities control (and solved) this problem. I suggest it start with Penn State.

This is an epidemic University leaders can no longer ignore.

— Joseph M. Gravish