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Administrators seeking solutions for negative fan behavior

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Related stories:

• Despite concerns, fans behave (February 2, 2006)
• Unruly fan behavior warrants UW discussion forum (December 11, 2003)
• Wiley concerned about negative fan behavior (November 17, 2003)
• Public debates student policy (May 9, 2007)
• Chancellor Wiley contacts U of M on students' Halloween misconduct (November 4, 2003)

Also by Matthew Dolbey:

• Wiley discusses diversity, Mifflin Block party (April 8, 2005)

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Badger fans have been getting much attention recently since early in the football season, when Ohio State fans wrote to University of Wisconsin Chancellor John Wiley addressing both verbal and physical assaults directed at Buckeye supporters.

One writer’s letter even made the opening of an opinion article in the Wall Street Journal:

“For the first time ever, I was fearful for my safety,” OSU fan Nancy Moore wrote in an e-mail to Wiley. Other visiting fans, like Purdue fans that traveled to Madison in October, said they had such a bad time they would not visit Camp Randall or UW in general again.

Since then, UW officials have tried to bring negative fan behavior to the attention of community members and students, emphasizing that this type of conduct is not acceptable. While such complaints may have reduced in volume over the past month, the issue is still grabbing the attention of university officials.

Mickey Eckert and her husband, Linn, visited Madison to see Michigan State University play the Badgers in November and did not see any abusive fan behavior, but they did comment on the bad language of the students during game play.

“It was offensive to me,” Eckert said. “But it was not a big surprise.”

Overall, though, she said they had a “good experience” and found the sometimes-problematic area of Breese Terrace fine, though she “probably went before any students were even up.” She added that the atmosphere in the parking lot before the game was fun, where she was able to talk with Badger fans freely.

Although her visit was pleasant this time, she did have reservations.

“I don’t know if I want to go to a night game,” Eckert said, adding that she plans to go to her alma mater to see if bad or offensive fan behavior is present there.

UW junior Dan Fuhrmann did admit that some behavior is over the top and is unacceptable, but said he believes not too much can be done.

“I think everyone gets into it,” Fuhrmann said about what some consider offensive cheers.

However, Dean of Students Luoluo Hong is trying to change this. Hong has scheduled a meeting between administration, alumni representatives and students for Jan. 29 as part of an ongoing series of discussions to brainstorm possible solutions to unappealing fan behavior, among both students and non-student Badger fans.

UW spokesman John Lucas stressed that these talks are just forums for discussing possible solutions in hopes of trying to lay out a framework for the next phase, where these ideas can be applied as practical policy. Lucas also said all ideas discussed are never meant to diminish school spirit. Plans like splitting up student sections are “not even on the radar screen,” he said.

He added that no matter what happens, you cannot always please everybody all the time.

“In a community this large, we’re not going to have 100 percent agreement.”