In the wake of an alleged rape at the hub of campus tailgating, university leaders are looking to make gameday partying "healthier and safer." Escalating problems at the Wilson tennis courts have MSU officials weighing the possibility of restricting alcohol use.

The discussion about responsible celebrating, particularly around the tennis courts, has increased since an alleged rape near the Duffy Daugherty Football Building Saturday night, 20 minutes before the Spartans kicked off against Notre Dame.

"Police have said they've noticed what they perceive more as non-game attendees involved with tailgating parties," MSU spokesman Terry Denbow said. "Students have to say 'this isn't us, you aren't us and we have to take care of each other.'"

The 20-year-old MSU student was allegedly raped at 6:40 p.m. by an acquaintance, a 23-year-old non-student, MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said.

They were near the tennis courts and Duffy Daugherty Football Building on south campus, and investigation is continuing, McGlothian-Taylor said.

"This is something we must take very seriously here and everywhere," Denbow said of the reported rape. "I don't want to make this an MSU student problem, it's a societal issue. We have to listen to students and others to how we can best address problems."

President-designate Lou Anna Simon said she and other officials recognize alcohol is a common thread between sexual assaults and other campus problems, but no one is looking for a quick fix.

Regulating tailgating on the tennis courts has been a topic at meetings and informal breakfasts for some time, officials said.

For two football seasons, MSU officials and trustees have been out monitoring tailgaters.

"At this point in time there is not 'the plan,'" Simon said. "We don't want to take anything off the table as not being under consideration."

Despite Simon and other officials saying dry tailgating might be considered in the future, Vice President of Student Affairs Lee June said making the area around the tennis courts dry won't happen.

"We're going to frame the discussion not as making that particular area dry, but are there things going on that should be discontinued or changed in some way," June said. "We're exploring some possible options both immediate and long-term."

June will meet with about a dozen student leaders Wednesday to discuss changes. Andrew Schepers, ASMSU Student Assembly chairperson, has been looking at ways to solve tailgating problems and will attend the meeting.

"If they do something quick or rash, there will be an upheaval of ungodly proportions," said Schepers, who leads MSU's undergraduate student government. "Some students are saying, 'We've been doing this forever, why stop now?' but you've got to come to a compromise or else (officials) won't work with you."

When MSU banned alcohol on Munn Field in 1998, about 3,000 people rioted, setting fires and destroying property.

But Denbow said the university has moved on from such acts.

"We've made some progress in some areas, and other areas are of concern to students and various stakeholders," he said.

A celebration committee made of students, university and community leaders has met for several years to discuss responsible partying and riots. Tailgating has remained unregulated, with the tennis courts becoming a hotspot for students, alumni and visitors.

Schepers said he doesn't think any changes will be in place for the officials' goal of Oct. 9, the next home football game against Illinois.

"This is such a big issue there's no way we could get anything done," he said. "It's not a matter of if we go dry, but when. People need to stop and take a look at what they're doing and be responsible."

Denbow said officials are concerned with alcohol abuse, not alcohol use.

Schepers said he agreed.

"Some people would say 'That's MSU, that's what we do,' but I don't think that's a good quality of being a Spartan," Schepers said. "People coming up to the residence halls and urinating on the side of the building? That's pathetic."

Simon said what happens on campus on a football Saturday affects the university's image the other 364 days of the year.

"When people come to our campus, they need to feel that they're safe, that people are acting responsibly while they're having fun, and that the aftermath of the event is manageable," Simon said. "That hasn't happened the last couple of games."

Shannon Houghton can be reached at hought27@msu.edu