A group of UW-Madison students who meet to analyze fan behavior at athletic events and form solutions to control violence find they are working with distinct behaviors and problems for each sport.
According to university officials, football games have far more problematic incidents than other sports such as basketball or hockey. The reasons for this are difficult to precisely determine, but administrators have ideas.
\Football in itself is a big sport and it attracts a lot of tailgating [and] pre-drinking,"" University Communications spokesperson John Lucas said.
Steve Malchow, associate athletic director for communications, pointed to the fact that people think of football games as the main event for a day while many times basketball and hockey games occur at night.
At their Dec. 10 meeting, the committee decided early that the bulk of problematic incidents at football games do not happen inside Camp Randall, but in different parts of the city on game days.
While the student section's infamous chants and songs might not be agreeable to all fans at football games, the groups are not trying to eliminate them.
""We have gotten a lot of feedback about [the obscene chants],"" Lucas said. ""We're not trying to change the way people are. It's not appropriate or practical to deal with.""
Both university officials acknowledged the goal of the reforms was not to dampen the enthusiasm for sports that has made UW-Madison famous.
""We don't want to change any of the energy [or] atmosphere,"" Lucas said. ""The student section is a valuable component and we don't want to mess with that if we don't have to.""
University officials are working closely with students to eliminate the negative element and prevent instances of violence. Malchow said students have taken the lead in posing solutions to this problem.
""I think students are as likely to be a part of the solution as the problem,"" Chancellor John Wiley said late last year.
According to Malchow, resolutions that are recommended by students will be more effective than any that might be offered by administrators.
The meetings are still in a preliminary stage, but some ideas have been brought up as possible solutions. The committee hopes to have recommendations to Wiley in time for next year's football season.
One of the ideas the groups discussed was using the band to encourage the fans to be more civil. They also looked at a possibility of football Head Coach Barry Alvarez or star players addressing fans directly.
The group will meet again in this month.
