Post by cviller on Aug 27, 2007 8:10:12 GMT -5
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FALSE!!!!
WVU officials take offense at No. 1 ranking
by jim butta
Parkersburg News
MORGANTOWN—West Virginia University head football coach Rich Rodriguez may not be taking the preseason polls seriously, but it would appear the school’s administration is doing just that.
Less than a week after receiving the infamous billing of "No. 1 Party School," WVU officials have elected to clean up the school’s act, especially when it comes to Mountaineer athletic events in general and WVU football games in particular.
"The goal of the changes is to enhance the safety and gameday enjoyment for all fans," WVU information officer Tim Anders explained to the Morgantown Dominion-Post.
The new policy, which regulates the consumption of alcoholic beverages, will take effect immediately, meaning fans attending Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. season-opener against visiting Western Michigan will become the first to feel the brunt of the policy.
Alcohol isn’t the only item on the list, however. The policy also includes limiting the size of gas and charcoal grills around the stadium area.
Gas grills exceeding 30,000 BTUs and charcoal grills with more than 22 inches of cooking surfaces will not be allowed in the parking areas immediately surrounding Milan Puskar Stadium. That includes the parking lot at the WVU Law School.
Fans, especially students, need to also understand that the university will be enforcing the open container law on gamedays. Police and plainclothes security guards will be making their way through the crowds and will ticket, and possibly, arrest, individuals drinking alcoholic beverages on any portion of university owned property.
None of these new policies effect the stadium suites, however.
Let’s face it. WVU wants to clean up the university’s image, but it don’t want to upset its biggest contributors.
"The suites at our stadium contain clauses in their contracts that specifically allow them to consume any beverage of their choosing," stated Anders. "Therefore, beverages that contain alcohol will be permitted in those areas."
Obviously, news of the latest policy to clean up WVU’s national image has been met with mixed feelings in the various Internet chat rooms most often visited by Mountaineer fans.
For the most part, fan reaction has been positive among those who see themselves as diehard supporters of the gold and blue. Not so, however, by the long time fans of tailgating parties which have led to such incidents as the ‘trash can’ episode when the Hurricanes of the University of Miami blew into town.
University officials readily admit that the school’s recent selection as the nation’s top party school had a hand in developing this new policy. With sellout crowds and national television audiences becoming the norm rather than the exception, officials looking to improve the university’s image have taken the right step.
It is high time that fans whose only purpose for attending a game is to get drunk and proceed to humiliate and intimidate opposing fans learn that their team has earned an elite status among Division I-A schools.
For too long now, university officials have closed their eyes to the ever-growing problem of public disorder (aka couch burning). This new policy addresses the concerns many among the administration and faculty have raised over the years. I applaud the officials for their stance and look forward to its desired results.
Contact Jim Butta via e-mail at jbutta@newsandsentinel.com
WVU officials take offense at No. 1 ranking
by jim butta
Parkersburg News
MORGANTOWN—West Virginia University head football coach Rich Rodriguez may not be taking the preseason polls seriously, but it would appear the school’s administration is doing just that.
Less than a week after receiving the infamous billing of "No. 1 Party School," WVU officials have elected to clean up the school’s act, especially when it comes to Mountaineer athletic events in general and WVU football games in particular.
"The goal of the changes is to enhance the safety and gameday enjoyment for all fans," WVU information officer Tim Anders explained to the Morgantown Dominion-Post.
The new policy, which regulates the consumption of alcoholic beverages, will take effect immediately, meaning fans attending Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. season-opener against visiting Western Michigan will become the first to feel the brunt of the policy.
Alcohol isn’t the only item on the list, however. The policy also includes limiting the size of gas and charcoal grills around the stadium area.
Gas grills exceeding 30,000 BTUs and charcoal grills with more than 22 inches of cooking surfaces will not be allowed in the parking areas immediately surrounding Milan Puskar Stadium. That includes the parking lot at the WVU Law School.
Fans, especially students, need to also understand that the university will be enforcing the open container law on gamedays. Police and plainclothes security guards will be making their way through the crowds and will ticket, and possibly, arrest, individuals drinking alcoholic beverages on any portion of university owned property.
None of these new policies effect the stadium suites, however.
Let’s face it. WVU wants to clean up the university’s image, but it don’t want to upset its biggest contributors.
"The suites at our stadium contain clauses in their contracts that specifically allow them to consume any beverage of their choosing," stated Anders. "Therefore, beverages that contain alcohol will be permitted in those areas."
Obviously, news of the latest policy to clean up WVU’s national image has been met with mixed feelings in the various Internet chat rooms most often visited by Mountaineer fans.
For the most part, fan reaction has been positive among those who see themselves as diehard supporters of the gold and blue. Not so, however, by the long time fans of tailgating parties which have led to such incidents as the ‘trash can’ episode when the Hurricanes of the University of Miami blew into town.
University officials readily admit that the school’s recent selection as the nation’s top party school had a hand in developing this new policy. With sellout crowds and national television audiences becoming the norm rather than the exception, officials looking to improve the university’s image have taken the right step.
It is high time that fans whose only purpose for attending a game is to get drunk and proceed to humiliate and intimidate opposing fans learn that their team has earned an elite status among Division I-A schools.
For too long now, university officials have closed their eyes to the ever-growing problem of public disorder (aka couch burning). This new policy addresses the concerns many among the administration and faculty have raised over the years. I applaud the officials for their stance and look forward to its desired results.
Contact Jim Butta via e-mail at jbutta@newsandsentinel.com
