This upcoming football season, tailgaters who want to have their fun on a grassy area better remember to leave their glass bottles at home.

Thanks to an ambiguous new policy from the Penn State athletic department, glass bottles can now be considered contraband during tailgates.

This, for some odd reason, doesn't apply to those tailgaters who have the means to own tailgating space on a paved lot, which is baffling considering supporters of the policy cite "animals in our environment" as a pro for the policy.

Animal safety is indeed an important issue, but are animals unable to roam on paved lots, and are they immune to hazards presented by metal and plastic? Furthermore, isn't it likely that glass dropping on pavement is more likely to shatter dangerously than on grass?

Another ambiguous dimension to this policy is the wording itself: glass bottles. Does the policy target all containers?

What about other glass containers, such as those for salsa, tabasco sauce or salad dressing?

Obviously, this policy raises a lot of questions that have left students scratching their heads. If the ban were to include paved areas, then understanding could possibly be in closer reach. Other, more appropriate offered reasoning included the safety of intramural athletes who use the field.

If the policymakers' motivation had to do with too much glass on the ground, wouldn't the simplest solution be to place more trash and recycling containers around the stadium?

The containers as of now always seem to be filled to the brink as it is, so more waste receptacles would be a good idea regardless -- if not for the convenience of those on game day, then at least to help out the staff who clean up after everyone.

But as of now, it seems that the university is enacting an inane policy that leaves the majority of Penn State football fans with a pointless, poorly justified inconvenience.

The idea of banning glass from tailgates is a good one in theory. Less broken glass could mean less harm for animals, tailgaters and tires. But the rights of those who choose to tailgate on grass shouldn't be less important than those of the people who choose pavement.

All Penn State fans should be held accountable, not just the ones who can afford nicer areas to celebrate their team. And more tangible reasoning couldn't hurt.