BATON ROUGE — LSU has changed its game day tailgating rules for Greek organizations, requiring them to set up on the Parade Ground instead of splitting between the Parade Ground and Unity Field as they had done before.

The shift has drawn pushback from some students who say the new layout raises questions about how organizations are grouped.

A map showing where organizations will be located has generated concerns among some students, who believe Black organizations are placed on one side of the Parade Ground while white organizations are on the other. Panhellenic organizations and National Panhellenic Council organizations occupy clearly defined sections of the tailgating area.

One student said the layout raises questions but stopped short of calling it segregation.

"I can definitely see why people see the map, it's a very clear demarcation, where the Panhellenic Council and NHPC is," the student said, "but I think the term segregation is a little bit of a stretch."

Another student said the university should look at other solutions rather than eliminating the previous setup.

"Instead of just plain out eradicating it, maybe trying to solve the issue instead of just deleting it, like adding security," the student said.

LSU administrators say Greek organizations were given a choice about where on the Parade Ground they would be located.

"This year the Greek orgs had the option to choose where they wanted to tailgate and the vast majority chose Parade Grounds," Chief Communications Officer Meg Sunstorm said.

Chancellor of Student Affairs Brandon Common said the university takes the tradition seriously.

"We take tailgating very seriously. We know it is an integral part of the student experience here at LSU," Common said.

Common says the university will continue meeting with organizations through its Tailgate 101 program.

Some students say despite the questions surrounding the change, they are ready to see what the new setup looks like in practice.

"I'm just interested to see how they manage to combine both groups to fit into one field," one student said.