What to know for first home football game Sept. 2: Safety, parking, construction, travel, game day tickets

With the first Purdue home football game scheduled for Saturday (Sept. 2) against Fresno State at the newly renovated Ross-Ade Stadium, the campus community should be aware of information related to safety, parking restrictions and designated event parking, construction impacts, travel safety, game day ticket passes, and what is new for the 2023 season.  

The trained professionals within the Purdue University Police, Fire, and Emergency Preparedness and Planning departments, in concert with the broader Purdue community, are hard at work every game day to provide a safe campus environment. With several thousand people attending this Saturday’s game, it is important to put safety first while navigating a busy campus. Traffic may be congested, with delays possible.

“We ask that everyone pay attention to their surroundings and remain alert as large groups of fans make their way in and out of the stadium,” said Purdue Police Chief Lesley Wiete. “We can all work together to help ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable game day experience.”

• For notifications, the Purdue Alert system encompasses everything from emails and desktop alerts to outdoor warning sirens. Please take a moment to ensure that you are signed up to receive emergency text alerts directly to your phone.
   
• Up-to-date campus safety status is always on the Campus Safety Status page.
   
• In an extreme situation, the Purdue,edu homepage will host the most needed information, and @LifeAtPurdue Twitter/X account will broadcast clear and factual information. All other university-affiliated accounts will be locked down. Updates will be published every 15 minutes.

Faculty and staff who will be on campus for business purposes should prepare for parking restrictions that will be in effect starting during the day on Friday (Sept. 1) and extending into Saturday (Sept. 2). These individuals are encouraged to seek alternate parking to avoid receiving citations, being towed or paying event parking rates in some locations.

The University Street and Northwestern Avenue parking garages are again designated parking locations for home football game attendees throughout the season. These garages will become event parking locations at 7 a.m. on Saturday, and no overnight parking the night before will be permitted. Vehicles that remain in either garage as of 7 a.m. on game days will be ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense.

With the exception of university “Reserve” permit holders, anyone entering the Northwestern Avenue and University Street garages on home game days — including those who have an “A” or “Student Garage” permit — will be required to pay event parking rates or provide a prepaid, digital athletic event parking permit to gain access.

Additional information, including restricted parking locations, towing location for relocated vehicles, alternate campus parking locations, maps and more, is included on the Parking Facilities website.

Faculty and staff parking questions, including those about disability parking, can contact Parking Facilities from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at 765-494-9497 or parking@purdue.edu. The lobby closes at 4 p.m.

Questions about athletic parking or events should be directed to the Hayes Family Athletics Ticket Office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 765-494-3194 or sporttix@athletics.purdue.edu. The Purdue Athletic department game day policy page also provides useful information on the visitor experience.