Goals

  • Safety of spectators, officials and participants.
  • Protect college property from destruction and abuse.
  • Provide a healthy, respectful, family-friendly playing and spectator environment.

Administration of Events

I.   Before Contest

  • Conference mailing to parents of intercollegiate athletes re sportsmanship
  • Analyze and highlight events where additional help and security is needed.
  • AD speaks with visiting team AD alerting of any concerns or potential problems.
  • Contact all Juniata athletes through coaches to use good judgment before during and after events where they may be attending as spectators.
  • Contact campus community through administration, coach of team-involved and the JC SAAC with “please attend and be a positive, respectful representative of Juniata College” message.
  • Block entry into facility for visibly drunken spectators.
  • Announcement before game “Racist, sexist comments and other intimidating actions are grounds for dismissal….” Statement read by PA announcer.
  • Advise apposing coach and the officiating crew how to contact event staff in the event they detect projectiles or hear inflammatory or abusive things from crowd.
  • Screen signs made by spectators that are inflammatory in any way.

II.   During Contest

  • Enforce KSRC rule prohibiting spectators from floor or sitting on bottom west-side bleacher row.
  • Separate JC students from visiting fans and bench.
  • Establish a minimum of four rows behind visiting bench in basketball for visiting team spectators (clear entire section behind visitor bench for exclusive use of visiting teams for highlighted and playoff contests).
  • Hire uniformed security (minimum of one officer for ever 500 expected attendance) and situate adjacent to student section.
  • Use music and interactive game ops during time-outs and between games to drown any taunts, etc.
  • Establish a no re-entry policy for students exiting facility at highlighted games to discourage drinking.
  • In-game announcements to stay off field or court when contest ends.

III.   After Contest

  • Align ushers and security along sideline in front of student section (Memorial Gym) and near goalposts (Knox Stadium) at the 1:00 minute mark.
  • Prevent spectators from entering floor or field until after teams and officials have exited the playing site.
  • Expedite any game conclusion and celebratory ceremonies as soon as possible after conclusion of contest while continuing to keep spectators from entering the playing floor or field areas.
  • Announcements to exit and vacate the facility in a safe and appropriate way.

IV.   Crowd Management Notes, Research and Qualifications.

 

  • A maximum effort at all events to prevent unlawful and unsafe behaviors involving physical interactions between spectators, officials and contestants.
  • Juniata management must endeavor to minimize uncivil behaviors with good planning before highlighted events and reacting as promptly as possible to such non-physical behaviors (as sexist, racist, intimidating actions/comments during and after contests) by confronting individuals and if necessary removing individuals from the site of competition.
  • Understand that social learning, alcohol, need-for-excitement and anonymity effects will cause otherwise well-intentioned individuals to behave differently in a large group.
  • Understand that all research and game-management experience indicates that the above initiatives will not eliminate uncivil or even some unlawful behaviors or aggression…so a reactive physical presence must always be available to some appropriate degree.
  • Ultimately a culture among spectators must evolve where constructive confrontation of and willingness to identify perpetrators is the norm and not an exceptional act.
  • Tossing a spectator after an uncivil behavior or stopping a contest until group actions cease send powerful messages about proper comportment but such interventions cannot be overused, unsafe or unprofessional…and be effective in the long term.

 Appendix A

  • Comments:  Where to draw the line.
  • What we’ve let go (It would be good if our fans are somewhat innovative)
    • The “air-ball” routine
    • “Doughnuts”.  Chant to an overweight male contestant (fine line…)
    • “Short shorts” to a male player with out-of-date inseam length  on his volleyball shorts.
    • “Sit-down, shut-up” chants to coaches.
    • Many and varied “bad hair” comments to males with dye jobs, Mohawks, semi-profane ‘do’s. 
    • “Safety school”, “You’ll work for us someday” chants.
    • “Garbage” after a contestant spit into the student section.
    • Anything from faculty and administration until officials ask for desist.
  • What we’ve tried to control and curtail
    • “Bullshit”.  These chants will surface on occasion and are stopped (even when inevitable variations like “Push It” evolve in the crowd).  Even the Dookies eschew anything close to profanity.    
    • “You suck”.  Junior high school behavior.  Has been and will likely remain a constant battle.  Our students are bright and can certainly be more creative than this one.  Way beneath the residents of Krzyzewskiville. 
    • “Fat ass” chant to male player before they switched to a “Doughnuts” chant (which was given a pass) above.
    • “Gay Boy” resulted in a toss.
    • “Geek Man”
    • “Ching Ching Chinaman” to an Asian VB player (toss)
    • “Hood rat” (toss)
    • “You’re ugly” to a female VB player (game was stopped and an announcement made)
    • Anything about relatives or personal life (“Your wife left you” chorus to an opposing coach).  Belinda confronted student section (worse than a toss).
    • Physical abnormalities.
    • Grades or academic status of a contestant.
    • Obviously anything racist, sexist or meant to be intimidating.