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The band wasn’t playing and the Badgers didn’t take the victory, but University of Wisconsin officials have one thing to be satisfied about after Saturday’s game against Ohio State: The number of arrests and citations has slightly decreased from to last year’s night game.
Eighty-six individuals were ejected from the game Saturday and a total number of 39 citations were issued, as compared to last years’ night game against the University of Iowa where 99 individuals were ejected from the game and 53 citations were issued.
On Saturday, 26 of those who received citations and 53 who were ejected are UW students.
During UW’s first game of the season against University of Akron, six individuals were cited for underage alcohol consumption, four of whom are UW students.
Dean of Students Lori Berquam, whose office has been actively involved in fan conduct during games, said she is satisfied that students brought better behavior to Camp Randall this Saturday and enjoyed the game without major disruptions.
“I honestly think that our students are enjoying the game, and they don’t necessarily need to be intoxicated to do that,” Berquam said. “I think that it’s just a really good thing to see to be able to demonstrate to our peer institutions that Madison can have a good time, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be out of control.”
According to University of Wisconsin Police Department Lt. Bill Larson, police staffing for the night game remained the same as in previous games, and there were no differences in the approach taken to policy enforcement.
After UW announced it would no longer be distributing wristbands confining students to a specific section on Sept. 30, Larson said crowds flowed smoothly into the stadium, but congestion issues have occurred inside.
He said students continue to take longer than usual to find their seats and are taking up too much space when they find their location, a trend that has started since the first Badger home game of the season.
Despite the congestion inside the stadium, wristband distribution will remain discontinued for the remaining home games.
Larson also credited the Offices of the Dean of Students for programs like “Show and Blow,” which requires students to blow in a portable Breathalyzer before being admitted to Camp Randall if they have previously been ejected for being intoxicated at a game.
“I think it is a combination of that and students starting to get the message,” Larson said.