Editor’s Note: Throughout the week, TommieMedia will be featuring stories on the upcoming Tommie-Johnnie game. Make sure to check out the Tommie-Johnnie coverage page for daily updates.
It is the most anticipated game of the season. With an expected crowd of more than 14,000 in attendance, the Tommies will face off against the Johnnies in Collegeville Saturday for the annual showdown.
This year, St. John’s will not allow party buses, inappropriate t-shirts or drinking.
The game falls on the St. John’s/St. Ben’s homecoming celebration, and the schools are taking some precautions, said St. Thomas Dean of Students Karen Lange.
“Our administration is standing in support with [St. Ben’s and St. John’s] in terms of wanting good sportsmanship and good behavior of our students,” Lange said.
To promote good sportsmanship and behavior, here are some guidelines for this Saturday’s game, according to St. John’s Athletic Director Tom Stark.
– Tailgating is allowed, but only without alcohol. Open flames and fire pits are prohibited. Glass containers and loud music are also not allowed.
– Alcoholic beverages are not allowed on campus grounds, in parking lots or in the football stadium. Alcoholic beverages or related items, such as kegs, taps or beer bongs, will be confiscated.
– Good sportsmanship is encouraged by all three schools. “We ask that you properly represent Saint John’s University and show the University of St. Thomas that we have the best fans in all of Division III,” Stark said.
Stark also said parking will be limited and he recommends carpooling because of the large crowds.
Lange said that St. Thomas Public Safety officers will be there, and the state patrol will also be involved and will ask party buses to turn around.
“They will not allow them on campus,” she said. “Students really need to be safe, leave early for the game and drive carefully.”
And if fans follow the guidelines, everything should go smoothly, Stark said.
“This is probably the greatest rivalry amongst the Division III schools and we ask fans of both sides to be loud, be proud, be positive and be respectful of the two great universities and its great rivalry,” he said. “If fans stick to those simple guidelines we shouldn’t have any problems.”
Ashley Stewart contributed to this report.
Mary Kenkel can be reached at mlkenkel@stthomas.edu.
“Stark also said parking will be limited and he recommends carpooling because of the large crowds.”
What I take from the article is that carpooling is recommended, but buses, being the most logical method has been disallowed. The idea behind the party bus is that students who choose to drink alcohol before the game are completely removing themselves from the situation of driving, or getting one of their friends to drive. So the students who planned on taking a bus to the game are now going to be piling into cars headed for St. Johns. The drivers will likely be distracted by their passengers. Even worse, consider the driver who decides he/she will just have a few drinks before the game and be “fine” to drive by the end of the game. For these reasons, and since student drinking for the Tommie Johnnie game is inevitable, the banning of party buses should be reconsidered.
*have
I mean what would make sense and cut drinking and driving the most is obviously banned. Its the ultimate triumph of a shortcut to intellectual thought by administration officials and possible terrible effects of decisions made.