41 students removed, 3 arrested due to alcohol, wristband infractions during Saturday scorcher
As Connor Shaw refound his stride during Saturday’s game against Missouri, 41 students of the 8,500 students who entered Williams-Brice Stadium were being walked out of the stadium or stumbling into police cars, according to Capt. Eric Grabski, USC police spokesman.
The number is down from the 64 students who were expelled from the 7 p.m. UAB game on Sept. 15.
“Every game has its own unique challenges; its unique culture, if you will,” Grabski said. He added that though day games and night games are more comparable, the opponent — especially a higher-profile SEC team like Georgia (the Bulldogs come to Columbia in two weeks) — is an even bigger determinant.
The majority of student ejections were due to alcohol violations, which totaled 19, and wristband infractions, at 18. Three went to jail, Grabski said. One of them had drunkenly shoved an officer who had confronted him, according to Adrienne White, student ticketing coordinator.
“If you’re cooperative and compliant, sometimes you’re not taken to jail,” said Anna Edwards, director of student services. “If you are, it’s normally for not being compliant, and it’s up to the discretion of the officer.”
While the temperature in the stands wasn’t quite as overwhelming as the noon Eastern Carolina game two weeks ago, it was still hot enough to cause 187 heat-related first aid visits and 42 Emergency Medical Services calls — 10 of which resulted in hospital transports — throughout the stadium, according to Grabski.
Other than the ejections, arrests and overheated fans, the game went as smoothly on the student ticketing side of things as could be expected, Grabski said.
For the first time since the new ticketing system was implemented, there were no big issues that couldn’t be solved on the spot, according to White.
White attributes the success to a switch from swiping CarolinaCards’ magnetic strips to scanning the cards’ barcodes. Damage to the cards’ magnetic strips was the main reason students had trouble getting into the UAB game and previous games, White said.
“Scanning is always easier,” White explained. “Swiping the mag-strip can have problems because so much as a scratch or putting your phone up against the card and demagnetizing it in your pocket can cause it to not swipe properly.”
A few issues with barcodes were able to be straightened out at the stadium, and White said she expects that Ticketing will continue using the scanning system without issue.
For students who continue having problems, White suggests becoming more familiar with the Ticketing website. All students who transfer their ticket will receive a confirmation email. If an email is not received, she said either the system failed to upload it or the problem is a user error.
“If you keep having issues, come by the Ticketing office, or call, or email,” White said.