The Bobcat Nation

guess bobcat fans just have more class



Griz game security concerns officials
By LUELLA N. BRIEN of the Missoulian



The University of Montana and local law enforcement agreed Tuesday that Grizzly football games have all the makings for a riot.

"It doesn't take much to have a riot," said Missoula Police Capt. Steve Ross. "And just because we haven't had one doesn't mean we are doing things right."

Thus Tuesday afternoon's meeting of a newly formed security committee headed by Teresa Branch, UM's vice-president for student affairs. The goal: to make Washington-Grizzly Stadium and its tailgate areas safer for people attending football games this fall.



Two weeks ago, Missoula police met with Branch to discuss their concerns about game day crowd control. Other university departments and law enforcement agencies were invited to Tuesday's get-together - to create a formal committee to address the concerns.

City police, Montana Highway Patrol and campus security officers attended the meeting with Branch and other UM officials, including Athletic Department staff.

Because of the security concerns, three major changes are for sure this football season. Parking will be more controlled, new collapsible goalposts have been installed and the university is working with Missoula police to increase warnings for freshmen about underage drinking.

"I don't know how much we can change, but I know it has to be done over the course of a few years," said associate athletic director Chuck Maes.

And change - slow, but sure - seemed to be the consensus of the meeting.

"We want to keep the fun atmosphere without angering or alienating anyone," Branch said.

Police agreed that the fervor of game day is good, but fans still need to exercise some self-control.

"People get so involved with the atmosphere and the frenzy that they end up not respecting the stadium or the officers on the field," said Missoula Police Capt. Marty Ludemann. "I don't think that anyone wants to totally eliminate the alcohol or the frenzy, but it needs to be controlled."

Some of the biggest problems identified during the meeting included overcrowding in the student section, binge drinking at tailgate parties, drunken driving, inappropriate student behavior, sneaking liquor into the stadium, and uncontrolled alcohol distribution at tailgate parties.

"It's an environment of overindulgence and reckless abandon with no control," said Police Capt. Dick Lewis. "People get searched when they go to the Adams Center for concerts, but not for football games. We have a couple of different standards here."

All agreed there needs to be more control when it comes to alcohol consumption during Grizzly football games.

"It takes one hour for the human body to lose one beer," Lewis said. "If we close the stadium after the third quarter, that's not enough time for people to sober up before they drive off."

Law enforcement officials spoke mostly about the criminal activity during football games, while UM officials tried to understand how they could eliminate certain problems without losing money.

"The fans have made Grizzly football a social event, and

90 percent of the people who do socialize are good at it," Maes said. "We don't want to punish the 90 percent because of the

10 percent's behavior. Where is that dividing line?"

One suggestion offered by city police was to eliminate hard liquor from football tailgate parties.

"When you mix liquor with beer, people's behavior becomes more volatile," Lewis said.

Janie Haight, events coordinator in the Athletic Department, said a ban on liquor could become an issue with private tailgaters, who are not providing alcohol for the general public.

"A good change happens slowly. We need to change the attitude and the culture of the event," said Ross. "Changing the culture is key."

The committee plans to develop a plan ensuring game day security before the season starts. It will meet again after the Western Montana Fair to discuss a proposal from university officials outlining changes that can happen before the start of the football season, which is five weeks away.
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briannell wrote:guess bobcat fans just have more class



Griz game security concerns officials
By LUELLA N. BRIEN of the Missoulian



The University of Montana and local law enforcement agreed Tuesday that Grizzly football games have all the makings for a riot.

"It doesn't take much to have a riot," said Missoula Police Capt. Steve Ross. "And just because we haven't had one doesn't mean we are doing things right."

Thus Tuesday afternoon's meeting of a newly formed security committee headed by Teresa Branch, UM's vice-president for student affairs. The goal: to make Washington-Grizzly Stadium and its tailgate areas safer for people attending football games this fall.



Two weeks ago, Missoula police met with Branch to discuss their concerns about game day crowd control. Other university departments and law enforcement agencies were invited to Tuesday's get-together - to create a formal committee to address the concerns.

City police, Montana Highway Patrol and campus security officers attended the meeting with Branch and other UM officials, including Athletic Department staff.

Because of the security concerns, three major changes are for sure this football season. Parking will be more controlled, new collapsible goalposts have been installed and the university is working with Missoula police to increase warnings for freshmen about underage drinking.

"I don't know how much we can change, but I know it has to be done over the course of a few years," said associate athletic director Chuck Maes.

And change - slow, but sure - seemed to be the consensus of the meeting.

"We want to keep the fun atmosphere without angering or alienating anyone," Branch said.

Police agreed that the fervor of game day is good, but fans still need to exercise some self-control.

"People get so involved with the atmosphere and the frenzy that they end up not respecting the stadium or the officers on the field," said Missoula Police Capt. Marty Ludemann. "I don't think that anyone wants to totally eliminate the alcohol or the frenzy, but it needs to be controlled."

Some of the biggest problems identified during the meeting included overcrowding in the student section, binge drinking at tailgate parties, drunken driving, inappropriate student behavior, sneaking liquor into the stadium, and uncontrolled alcohol distribution at tailgate parties.

"It's an environment of overindulgence and reckless abandon with no control," said Police Capt. Dick Lewis. "People get searched when they go to the Adams Center for concerts, but not for football games. We have a couple of different standards here."

All agreed there needs to be more control when it comes to alcohol consumption during Grizzly football games.

"It takes one hour for the human body to lose one beer," Lewis said. "If we close the stadium after the third quarter, that's not enough time for people to sober up before they drive off."

Law enforcement officials spoke mostly about the criminal activity during football games, while UM officials tried to understand how they could eliminate certain problems without losing money.

"The fans have made Grizzly football a social event, and

90 percent of the people who do socialize are good at it," Maes said. "We don't want to punish the 90 percent because of the

10 percent's behavior. Where is that dividing line?"

One suggestion offered by city police was to eliminate hard liquor from football tailgate parties.

"When you mix liquor with beer, people's behavior becomes more volatile," Lewis said.

Janie Haight, events coordinator in the Athletic Department, said a ban on liquor could become an issue with private tailgaters, who are not providing alcohol for the general public.

"A good change happens slowly. We need to change the attitude and the culture of the event," said Ross. "Changing the culture is key."

The committee plans to develop a plan ensuring game day security before the season starts. It will meet again after the Western Montana Fair to discuss a proposal from university officials outlining changes that can happen before the start of the football season, which is five weeks away.
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This was my favorite quote from the article:

"Measures like this have NEVER been necessary at Montana State's games, because MSU's fans are so classy and perfect that they NEVER behave in a manner that can be described as anything other than 'angelic.' If UM's fans were more like MSU's fans, then Missoula would not have to put rules like this in place either."

Oh wait, I forgot...that quote wasn't actually in the article. I wonder why?

My knee-jerk reaction is that it sounds like the Missoula officials are getting a little paranoid by imagining a problem that doesn't seem to really exist to impose more restrictions on people having a good time.

Yeah go to a Cat/Griz game in Missoula where the law enforcement and security officials outnumber the fans.

Grizlaw, I thought it was common knowledge that Cat fans are all and all better then Griz fans…

On a more serious note, I have found the Missoula authorities to be a little overzealous when it comes to imagining problems that don't really exist. As an example, I'll share a war story:

For as long as anybody can remember, UM Law School has had a tailgate party for all Griz home games. It has always been understood that setting up the tailgate party is the job of the 1L class; they're supposed to appoint someone (or a group of people) to handle the logistics of reserving a spot, getting a keg, food, etc., collecting money (the 2Ls and 3Ls will help pay for it; it's just the 1Ls' job to organize everything), etc.

Now, as you might imagine, the law students are not exactly the wildest bunch of people you'll find at games. Don't get me wrong; we were a fun crowd, and we drank a lot, but in terms of fighting, rioting, and actually starting trouble, we were pretty tame.

Anyway -- this is all background info. When I was a 3L, I was hanging out at our tailgate party, enjoying a bratwurst and a beer, when one of the campus cops appeared at our site. No worries, we weren't doing anything wrong, right?

Well, it turns out that one of UM's rules regarding tailgating was that fraternities and sororities were not allowed to have kegs at their parties -- they could have cans of beer, but no kegs. Still no problem, since the law school is undeniably not a fraternity or sorority...right?

As it turned out, it was on this latter point that the campus cop and I actually ended up engaging in a fairly lengthy and spirited debate. You see, the law school does *have* a fraternity (if you want to call it that) within it -- Phi Delta Phi, the legal honor society, of which many lawyers and law students around the country are members (and of which I was and am still one). By the campus cop's logic, the fact that such an organization *exists* within the law school was sufficient to bring our tailgate party within the University's rule against Greek organizations having kegs at their parties (despite the fact that Phi Delta Phi had absolutely no role in organizing the party; it was the law school's party).

Anyway, after about ten or fifteen minutes of discussion (during which I expressed that I would be more than willing to discuss the matter with the cop and any appropriate higher authority sometime the following week), he finally agreed that the rule probably was not intended to include the law school as a Greek organization, and he allowed us to go about our business. Still, I thought the exchange was pretty ludicrous.

Anyway, after about ten or fifteen minutes of discussion (during which I expressed that I would be more than willing to discuss the matter with the cop and any appropriate higher authority sometime the following week), he finally agreed that the rule probably was not intended to include the law school as a Greek organization, and he allowed us to go about our business. Still, I thought the exchange was pretty ludicrous

.

GL- either you don't argue much in a courtroom, or you're just too damn good a lawyer for the missoula cops to handle

-becca

briannell wrote:GL- either you don't argue much in a courtroom, or you're just too damn good a lawyer for the missoula cops to handle

-becca

Or both.

GL - props!!!!

-becca

when did you graduate UM?

briannell wrote:GL - props!!!!

-becca

when did you graduate UM?

Thanks Becca. I'm always glad when I can provide amusement.

Undergrad, December of 1997. Law School, 2001.

All agreed there needs to be more control when it comes to alcohol consumption during Grizzly football games.

We have season tix at WashGriz in the 3rd row, 35 yard line, behind the visiting bench. I usually make it to one game a year when visiting my Mom in Mizoola. I was shocked last year at the game I went to. Pretty much everyone in our vacinity was openly drinking alcohol while the game was being played. A lady next to me was brazenly drinking a Bacardi Breezer like it was a Diet Coke. The guys in front of us had each brought in a few Coors Lights and were sucking them down.

My brother and I knew we had to do something at halftime - we went out to the GAA tailgate and smuggled in a barley pop for the second half.

I was really surprised that there was no control over the consumption of alcohol. The beer tasted good, but I could have done without the blotto fool behind us screaming at the NAU bench for most of the 4th quarter. Things haven't been that lax in previous years, and I've been going to games there since 1989. Hell, I even spent my first year at UM until I got some sense knocked into me.

GL - do you know kim sorkness? she's a pal, same age as us she did track for the griz, even holds records there.

--when you're done making bank, hope you have the good sense to move back to MT, and enjoy the simple things in life again. NYC way too crazy for me, especially on a Mets/Yankees game day
-rebecca

Grizlaw wrote:On a more serious note, I have found the Missoula authorities to be a little overzealous when it comes to imagining problems that don't really exist. As an example, I'll share a war story:
.

Here is my overzealous story. I was leaving Missoula heading back to Bozeman after the Cat/Friz game and I got pulled over. My turn signal did not click off after I entered the interestate and an officer of the law stop me. It was on for about 1/4 mile. He asked to step out of my pickup and do the drunk test. I said what to the officer. I told him I had not had a drink all day. He then gave me a warning.

Can you believe it!

briannell wrote:GL - do you know kim sorkness? she's a pal, same age as us she did track for the griz, even holds records there.

--when you're done making bank, hope you have the good sense to move back to MT, and enjoy the simple things in life again. NYC way too crazy for me, especially on a Mets/Yankees game day
-rebecca

Becca -- I do recognize the name, but I don't think I actually know her. I was a distance runner in high school and had friends who ran for the Griz, so I probably recognize her name from them.

Re: moving back to Montana -- maybe someday; we'll see. I do miss it there, but for the moment I am enjoying the craziness to which you refer.

--GL

GL- well enjoy the craziness in the city. i'm happy to let you have those Mets/Yankees game days all to yourself, and the traffic that goes with them

upper New York state is beautiful, fully enjoy it. New England this fall will be beautiful, I like VT and NH best. But if you get up to MASS. it's nice as well.

just don't dig the big city much. this coming from a gal born in SF, but would enjoy more of the big city art scene here. I'm an artsy gal.

i'll get back to MT soon and put down roots, hubby will have to beg me to leave when he gets back from Iraq. don't know how successful he's going to be a mere man vs. mountains should be interesting .

-rebecca