Student Senate is considering revoking football ticket privileges, increasing searches at the gate and increasing security in the student section of Autzen Stadium to help combat “unclassy fan behavior,” a concern University President Dave Frohnmayer expressed at a meeting last week.
The Senate has also talked about publicizing accounts of unsportsmanlike conduct at home football games and using peer pressure to discourage the conduct.
Student Senate Vice President Sara Hamilton recommended to other Senators in a meeting last week that they take action or at least recognize the problem and draft a formal recommendation to Frohnmayer. A decision will be made at this week’s Senate meeting on Wednesday.
Frohnmayer announced at the student government’s Oct. 17 Associated Students Presidential Advisory Council meeting that the issue has become serious enough to warrant action.
Senator Amy Dufour suggested better security at the gates and student section.
Senator Natalie Kinsey said at Friday’s student government Athletic Department Finance Committee meeting that several Senators consider it a slippery slope to create a punishment that takes incidental fee privileges from students.
“As representatives of students, they don’t think that most students would support us doing anything that would inhibit them going to the game,” Kinsey said. “They don’t think much would work, and that we should step back and leave it in the hands of the administration, the Pac-10 and the athletic department.”
But Senator Dallas Brown said at the meeting that there is no need to debate whether it’s the Senate’s job to take action on the issue.
“I think we need to be a stronger Senate and we need to take action,” Brown said. “We need to start showing some strength as a Senate and stop dodging around issues.”
Brown suggested punishing students who are removed from home games multiple times for “unclassy” behavior by revoking their privileges to attend future home games.
The Senate Rules Committee and ADFC Senators met Friday to begin addressing the issue.
Steve McBride, associate director for Internal Operations in the University Athletics Department, said at the ADFC meeting that Athletics Department officials are concerned, but there is one main problem: “People are not as civil as they used to be.”
“Some of the people that we’re hearing from are just noticing that change and not liking it, and I don’t know what we can do about that because that’s a lot bigger than a football game or the city of Eugene. It’s society,” McBride said.
McBride said alcohol fuels the problem, but said he and the Athletics Department have not figured out what to do about it.
He said that some people come to games unrealistically expecting people to always act properly, particularly when they bring young children.
“We’re dealing with a much broader range of complaints than are really valid,” McBride said. “Let’s act like we’ve all been there before.”
McBride suggested that students use peer pressure to discourage negative behavior in the stands.
Several Senators said a final decision will be made Wednesday evening at the Student Senate meeting.
The 11 ASPAC members will also brainstorm ideas to help eliminate the problem.
Contact the campus and federal politics reporter at [email protected]