02-24-2003, 08:52 AM
When you have a campus with no selectivity in admissions, and admins like Geiger who are thugs behind a desk...doesn't this just follow?
Summit addresses riotous behavior at Ohio State U.
By Bekah McCurdy & Ted Williams The Lantern
(U-WIRE) COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Following a number of disturbances during and after sporting events in the past few months, the topic of fan behavior at college sporting events has brought to the national level.
Ohio State President Karen A. Holbrook, Athletics Director Andy Geiger and Mayor Michael B. Coleman traveled to Dallas Thursday for the Sportsmanship and Fan Behavior Summit.
The three met as part of a newly-formed coalition which oversees collegiate athletics. Sportsmanship, fan behavior and celebratory riots are some topics the panel discussed.
The conference included commissioners from all NCAA Division I conferences, stemming from an annual meeting of NCAA football. Geiger said several representatives from every athletic conference were in attendance and included officials such as university presidents, student affairs representatives, athletic directors and media.
Many colleges and universities in North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma and Washington are struggling with the problem of celebratory riots and other disturbances following college games.
The Sportsmanship and Fan Behavior Summit came together with hopes of having a broader discussion on celebratory riots.
"This has become a problem nationwide, and we want to see what other cities are doing to address the issue," said Mike Brown, spokesman for Coleman.
Holbrook outlined the scope of "celebratory riots" Thursday, saying, "These riots are fueled by the excessive use of alcohol, and Ohio State is not alone in experiencing them. At Ohio State and in Columbus, we have some of the best minds working on trying to solve this problem, and we plan to share what we learn with others in the country."
Before the OSU-Michigan game, Holbrook addressed the issue of inappropriate fan behavior and the possible negative effects it could have on the academic strengths of the university. Holbrook and the Office of Student Affairs asked students and fans to be responsible and show respect when celebrating.
Geiger said Holbrook was correct in addressing fan behavior.
"There's a fundamental climate of disrespect that is pervasive in our society," he said. "While we have made great progress in encouraging good sportsmanship on the part of our players, we have not carried the same message to our fans."
Geiger said he was eager to address the problems following the Michigan game, alcohol consumption and the way people were treated.
"Michigan and Penn State fans were treated poorly by our fans when they were here. However, Washington State fans commented how nice we were -- there's obviously differential behavior," Geiger said. "Our fans aren't so nice when we play other Big Ten teams."
He attributes it to alcohol, a lack of respect and an absence of good sportsmanship among fans.
Geiger also criticized beer commercials that pay for sports telecasts and are televised during sporting events, saying they encourage "rowdy behavior, in one instance even rioting, and are at best very disrespectful of women. The number and themes of beer commercials during our games causes me to wonder why we are surprised at the amount of beer consumed and the boorish behavior caused by the drunkenness that results."
Coleman agrees with Holbrook that correcting fan behavior will take time.
"The only solution is a community solution that engages all stakeholders, all residents and all our resources to prevent the violence from occurring in the first place," he said.
Coleman said celebratory riots are disrupting the quality of life and jeopardizing safety in the campus area neighborhood, as well as tarnishing the image of the city of Columbus, Ohio. He also said riots have been detrimental to the city's fiscal and human resources.
"The personnel overtime for our police officers, firefighters and public service staff has hit us hard," Coleman said.
Geiger said strong enforcement will help control the rioting crowd, but universities need to implement programs for athletic fans that will engage them in sportsmanship, mutual respect, respect for the opposition and a concept of what a true team is all about.
Coleman was asked to speak in Dallas by the NCAA because of his position as mayor of Columbus and being a co-chairman with Holbrook on the task force in Columbus. Coleman said a task force report will provide new research action steps for the Columbus community.
Summit addresses riotous behavior at Ohio State U.
By Bekah McCurdy & Ted Williams The Lantern
(U-WIRE) COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Following a number of disturbances during and after sporting events in the past few months, the topic of fan behavior at college sporting events has brought to the national level.
Ohio State President Karen A. Holbrook, Athletics Director Andy Geiger and Mayor Michael B. Coleman traveled to Dallas Thursday for the Sportsmanship and Fan Behavior Summit.
The three met as part of a newly-formed coalition which oversees collegiate athletics. Sportsmanship, fan behavior and celebratory riots are some topics the panel discussed.
The conference included commissioners from all NCAA Division I conferences, stemming from an annual meeting of NCAA football. Geiger said several representatives from every athletic conference were in attendance and included officials such as university presidents, student affairs representatives, athletic directors and media.
Many colleges and universities in North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma and Washington are struggling with the problem of celebratory riots and other disturbances following college games.
The Sportsmanship and Fan Behavior Summit came together with hopes of having a broader discussion on celebratory riots.
"This has become a problem nationwide, and we want to see what other cities are doing to address the issue," said Mike Brown, spokesman for Coleman.
Holbrook outlined the scope of "celebratory riots" Thursday, saying, "These riots are fueled by the excessive use of alcohol, and Ohio State is not alone in experiencing them. At Ohio State and in Columbus, we have some of the best minds working on trying to solve this problem, and we plan to share what we learn with others in the country."
Before the OSU-Michigan game, Holbrook addressed the issue of inappropriate fan behavior and the possible negative effects it could have on the academic strengths of the university. Holbrook and the Office of Student Affairs asked students and fans to be responsible and show respect when celebrating.
Geiger said Holbrook was correct in addressing fan behavior.
"There's a fundamental climate of disrespect that is pervasive in our society," he said. "While we have made great progress in encouraging good sportsmanship on the part of our players, we have not carried the same message to our fans."
Geiger said he was eager to address the problems following the Michigan game, alcohol consumption and the way people were treated.
"Michigan and Penn State fans were treated poorly by our fans when they were here. However, Washington State fans commented how nice we were -- there's obviously differential behavior," Geiger said. "Our fans aren't so nice when we play other Big Ten teams."
He attributes it to alcohol, a lack of respect and an absence of good sportsmanship among fans.
Geiger also criticized beer commercials that pay for sports telecasts and are televised during sporting events, saying they encourage "rowdy behavior, in one instance even rioting, and are at best very disrespectful of women. The number and themes of beer commercials during our games causes me to wonder why we are surprised at the amount of beer consumed and the boorish behavior caused by the drunkenness that results."
Coleman agrees with Holbrook that correcting fan behavior will take time.
"The only solution is a community solution that engages all stakeholders, all residents and all our resources to prevent the violence from occurring in the first place," he said.
Coleman said celebratory riots are disrupting the quality of life and jeopardizing safety in the campus area neighborhood, as well as tarnishing the image of the city of Columbus, Ohio. He also said riots have been detrimental to the city's fiscal and human resources.
"The personnel overtime for our police officers, firefighters and public service staff has hit us hard," Coleman said.
Geiger said strong enforcement will help control the rioting crowd, but universities need to implement programs for athletic fans that will engage them in sportsmanship, mutual respect, respect for the opposition and a concept of what a true team is all about.
Coleman was asked to speak in Dallas by the NCAA because of his position as mayor of Columbus and being a co-chairman with Holbrook on the task force in Columbus. Coleman said a task force report will provide new research action steps for the Columbus community.
Are you kidding??? BG folks questioning admissions standards?? Seriously, you are extremely miguided. You might want to compare the stats of the recent freshman classes at OSU vs. BGSU. This isn't the OSU of the Seventies and Eighties......
