University officials have implemented a new system for home football games in which a wristband will be given to each student wishing to sit in the student section. Mississippi State University staff handed out 9,000 wristbands at Saturday’s homecoming football game. According to new university policy, once the wristbands are gone, students will be referred to the east side of the stadium for seating for each home football game.The new policy was put in place after an increased student turnout caused serious overcrowding issues during MSU’s home opener against LSU. Brent Frey, coordinator of event management and facilities, explained the new policy.
“It’s a safety issue,” he said. “During the LSU game, we had students standing on the stairways. Entrances were blocked. If something would have happened to a student during the game, the paramedics would have had a very difficult time getting to them.”
Frey said the policy was a joint decision between student affairs, the police department and the athletic department.
“We have more students on campus now, which is a great problem to have, but we had to come up with something to solve the overcrowding we are having in the student section,” he said.
During Saturday’s game, students were given one of two different wristbands.
One color was for the end zone grandstands, and the other was for the larger student section on the west side of the stadium.
Students who did not receive a wristband were directed to section 701, which is the student section on the east side of the stadium.
The new wristband system was a cause of frustration for many students.
Sophomore business major Tom Farragut was not allowed into the student section during the beginning of the Gardner-Webb game.
“It’s never been an issue before,” Farragut said. “I don’t see why they would start enforcing it now. Anyone who bought student tickets should be allowed into the student section and shouldn’t have to wait in line to get in.”
On the other hand, some students believe the new system is necessary.
Junior landscape architecture major A.J. Colasurdo said the new policy is a good idea.
“There was absolutely nowhere to stand during the LSU game,” he said. “It was ridiculous. I had to stand in the aisle the whole game. If you really want to see the game you will get there on time and get a wristband.”
Frey received a lot of feedback from students regarding the new system and is currently considering other long-term solutions to the problem.
“The Gardner-Webb game was the first time we tried this,” he said. “We realize there were some problems, but it’s something we are trying out. When you have one guard trying to read IDs and hand out wristbands, it’s going to be a mess getting people in. We have hired more personnel to fix that problem.”
“The number of students that showed up for the LSU game surprised us, and they surprised us again at the Gardner-Webb game,” he said.