Groggy Spartans recovering from a crazed football Saturday got a little extra help in clearing red cups and other party debris from their lawns Sunday morning.
A group of about 30 people, primarily composed of students and a few city and university officials, hit East Lansing streets with trash bags to make the tailgating aftermath look like a distant memory.
"It's disappointing how much trash is all over the place," said Emily Steibel, an elementary education junior who volunteered to pick up trash. "Especially after a loss, people just don't care and they take their frustrations out."
Steibel was in a group of four people who picked up trashed lawns on Abbott Road. Pizza boxes, Taco Bell cups and plastic party cups littered the front yards of several homes along the road.
Those who participated in Sunday's cleanup were volunteers and East Lansing's Community Relations Coalition and Neighborhood Resource Coordinators, or were volunteers. Steibel said the push to get out in the community wasn't just to clean up trash; it was to build relationships.
"It shows our community the students do care about the way the campus presents itself," she said. "It's important to show pride in your campus."
Brad Rutledge, whose yard was blanketed with cups, bottles and trash, said he was glad to have a few extra sets of hands to clear the trash.
"It makes everyone want to join in," the biomedical and mechanical engineering junior said. "It shows we are willing to take responsibility for our actions."
Driving around the city at night and walking around campus during the tailgate, Rachelle Woodbury, the new community liaison for MSU and East Lansing, said activities weren't out of hand.
"It didn't look dead to me," she said. "The tailgate sold out."
Seeing people with 40-ounce bottles of beer taped to their hands was slightly shocking, Woodbury said. But for the most part, students seemed to be enjoying themselves and obeying the tailgating restrictions, she added.
Having a group of people show up at a student's house to help clean their yard really will motivate students to take care of party trash sooner, said Nicole Dennis, a communication and marketing senior, whose yard was cleaned.
"The management company charges us for having the people come out and clear the yard up," she said. "This makes us feel more responsible and makes more people care."
