If Montee Ball can get ticketed at Mifflin – him being of the legal drinking age and acting entirely sober, at that – then it’s absolutely reasonable for fans to expect the same treatment when they are breaking laws and acting out at football games.

Students drink and get rowdy – parents, alumni and community members do as well. As Reggie mentions, such is the culture at Wisconsin. A rich and vibrant culture it is, excessive imbibing included. 

Heavy drinkers that we are, it should follow Badger fans are better-versed in alcohol-related policies and etiquette than any school in the Big Ten. We Wisconsinites engage in alcohol-related tomfoolery knowing full well that it can lead to trouble: Bad for the underage, worse for the visibly intoxicated and worst for the belligerently drunk. 

If one person finds him or herself in all three of those categories, it would take a far more charitable soul than I to take pity on them. 

In the first game of the season, there were 20 citations, 20 arrests and 30 ejections. About three-fourths from each category were current University of Wisconsin students. Note that not each recorded offense represents a different individual; for example, a person both cited and ejected would add one to the total in both of those categories. 

Since the season opener, the stats have gotten significantly worse, especially in ejections: In the most recent home football game against Illinois, there were 25 citations, 25 arrests and 152 ejections. 

I would hazard a guess that such an extraordinary spike in the number of ejections is influenced more by the level of enforcement than behavior. But whether the increase is the result of a crackdown by police patrolling Camp Randall, or simply an unusually unruly crowd, is hardly relevant. 

These are not victims falling prey to harsh or unwarranted citations. To my knowledge, there have been no instances of a sober Bucky fan, partaking in wholesome school spirit, getting ejected from the stadium by a swift kick to the seat of his red-and-white striped overalls. 

While statewide attitudes toward drinking have long been lenient, by both its residents and statutes, we still generally know what type of behavior will cross the line of the law. Whether we listen to that nagging voice or continue to down J?gerbombs is another matter, but pouting at the consequences would be foolish.

Sarah Witman (switman@badgerherald) is a senior majoring in journalism.

The University of Wisconsin has so many nostalgia-inducing traditions and identifiable places it’s easy to lose count.
What wasn’t hard to lose count of last Saturday, however, were the amounts of arrests and ejections made at the Badger-Illinois football game. 

Seventeen university students were cited and arrested, and 86 students were ejected. 

We can’t help it; students just like to jump around and have fun. Part of the Badger experience is knowing you’ll have a chance to be involved in memorable events throughout your undergraduate career. And yeah, some of them just do happen to get a little rowdy. 

One of the most crucial aspects students learn in their time at a university, in addition to how to work hard and think critically, is how to be an adult. We all come in thinking we’re hot shit. Part of the college experience, though, is learning we aren’t; being an individual of value to society means more than how many parties you go to each month or how much you can drink before puking. We all “knew” this, but the best way to learn is to do. 

Badger games are the perfect setting to let kids learn that doing dumb things can have dumb consequences. If an of-age student drinks too much and pukes, then they learn to limit themselves next time. If you are responsible but still have fun, then you’ll make great memories. Basic lessons of life can be learned at Camp Randall. 

Yet another facet making Badger games perfect is the fact there is some supervision. If a fight breaks out, for example, then there is security present to stop and give those brawlers a monetary lesson in why fisticuffs are not a responsible undertaking.
Security, while it should be present, should be lax in enforcing arrests and ejections. 

Kids will be kids. We’re at college to learn, and that education extends outside of the classroom.

Reginald Young (ryoung@badgerherald) is a senior majoring in legal studies and Scandinavian studies.