WKU’s Student Government Association hosted a tailgate before the WKU baseball team’s home game against the University of Louisville Tuesday, complete with free hot dogs, giveaways and more.

SGA President Rush Robinson announced the tailgate at the weekly SGA meeting on March 10.

Robinson said that during an SGA meeting early in the year, WKU Athletics Director Todd Stewart emphasized the need for further student engagement. Robinson described the tailgate as “our small step towards that.”

“We have a part of our budget that works towards a project fund, and normally this funds like a big event towards the end of the year,” Robinson said. “So we were thinking, how can we use our project fund to help the students, but also try and get some more students in games?”

To ensure tailgate attendees would stay for the game, SGA gave away scholarships and WKU baseball caps both at the tailgate and at the game. Students could scan a QR code at the tailgate to enter a scholarship drawing. Students were also required to enter their Instagram usernames to ensure they were following the SGA Instagram account.

Emily Elola, a junior recreation, park and nonprofit administration major, said the tailgate was a worthwhile use of the SGA budget.

“I’m meeting more people here than I usually would,” Elola said. “I wouldn’t even think about there being a baseball game until I got the email about the tailgate party.”

Kendall Hughey, a freshman English major, shared similar views on the event.

“It’s been very fun, very enjoyable,” Hughey said. “It gets more people together, and it builds a sense of community on campus.”