Student section unites for Saturday

In hopes of avoiding a repeat of last week’s student section fiasco, the athletic department has reassigned sections 120, 121, and 122 in Gerald J. Ford Stadium.

Prior to the Navy game, the athletic department placed the band in section 121, in hopes of rousing student spirit by squeezing the band between the two groups of students in 120 and 122.

According to Shawn Heilbron, director of marketing for the athletic department, this proved disastrous.

“Having the band in the middle just confused students,” Heilbron said. “Some didn’t know there was another section on the other side of the band.

As section 122 quickly became standing room only, students began crowding into other sections and unknowingly taking seats Mustang fans had paid for. Students who stood their ground were removed from the overflow sections by event staff and uniformed University Park police.

“I was extremely impressed with the student body support,” said Guy Bellaver, a junior journalism major forcibly removed from his seat Saturday. “It’s too bad that the chaos created by the disorganization of the stadium staff and the athletic department had to ruin the spirit and atmosphere for everyone else.”

Senior journalism major Rogers Healy agreed.

“It was basically the Mustang Maniac section and they pretty much brought in a SWAT team to move SMU students from cheering on the team,” he said.

To avoid another student-relations nightmare like last week, Heilbron says the band has been moved to section 122 so as not to split up the student crowd. Heilbron adds that sections 121 and 122 “go all the way up” to the top of the stands, a reminder many students would rather forget.

“While we’re getting back on track, we do need to let the students sit closer to the field,” Healy said. “I don’t think our students should be punished for getting excited about SMU football.”