The Mountaineer Maniacs are so serious about acting appropriately at tonight’s West Virginia University men’s basketball game against Villanova University, that they practiced Sunday.
Maniacs Director Cassie Werner organized a “walkthrough” at the WVU Coliseum Sunday to test new strategies being enforced to try and curb the negative fan behavior taking place over the last five home games.
The most significant change will be the addition of 50 to 75 section leaders in the lower student section. Current Student Government Association members and those running for SGA office next year along with other Maniacs make up these leaders.
It’s those leaders’ jobs to try to curb some of the negative chants and cheering at Monday’s game, Werner said.
“They’re not there to be the student police or anything,” Werner said. “They’re just there to coordinate cheers and just encourage a good time.”
In addition, the Maniacs sent out a survey to its members Friday morning asking for suggestions to improve fan behavior and atmosphere.
Werner said she received more than 500 replies in two days and spent the weekend reading them.
Recommendations include more organized, creative cheers and better enforcement of the alcohol policy.
The Maniacs sent out another e-mail this weekend asking for cheer ideas for Monday’s game. The response has once again been strong, and Werner said she would like to do something similar for the remainder of the season.
Werner said the Maniacs will use some of these cheers against Villanova.
Instead of printing a normal Maniacs Musings newsletter, Werner said it will instead be a cheer chart explaining the new cheers and when to shout them. The Maniacs will also use a white board to communicate with the entire student section during the section.
“We need to know if we go up 15 points or if somebody on the other team turns over the ball we have a cheer,” Werner said. “A lot of the surveys said we pretty much only have ‘Defense’ and ‘Let’s Go Mountaineers.’”
Finally, the University, SGA and the Maniacs have worked together to develop what is called “Huggs’ House Rules.” The rules will explain expected conduct at basketball games for students. Werner said she expects those to be printed and ready for tonight’s game.
“A lot of students want to know what is acceptable and what isn’t,” Werner said. “We’ve been working with the administration on that.”
Werner said she expects to send all survey results to the administration, as well.
After discussions late last week and throughout the weekend, the University will implement its own alternations to improve fan behavior tonight.
Additional video cameras will be in place to catch any fan throwing items or exhibiting other illegal behaviors. Extra security at the gates and in the student section will also be implemented tonight. The no-alcohol policy will also be enforced.
If a fan is caught throwing items onto the court, it will result in immediate
removal and could involve sanctions including revocation of athletic privileges for students and ticket holders, among other consequences, said WVU Vice President for Communication Becky Lofstead. Those punishments could go as far as expulsion, she added.
In addition, fans who see negative behavior can text AID to 94597 for assistance.
WVU head coach Bob Huggins is also expected to talk to students about in-game fan behavior. Werner heard Huggins would talk to students waiting in line outside the Coliseum prior to the game.
The University apologized Thursday evening for actions from last Wednesday’s game against the University of Pittsburgh.
During that game, students threw items onto the court at a point in the second half. Later in the game, a fan hit a Pitt assistant coach with a quarter in the face causing WVU to be whistled for a technical foul.
WVU President James P. Clements called those actions “boorish and unruly behavior,” Huggins called them “stupid” and WVU Vice President of Student Affairs Ken Gray said the University is enforcing a “zero-tolerance phase.”
anthony.dobies@mail.wvu.edu
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