University of Mississippi students watch the game in right field against Arkansas Pine Bluff, Tuesday. (File Photo | Payton Teffner)
The Rebels have played 10 games at Swayze Field since the athletic department’s announcement of the new regulation that requires wristbands for those drinking alcohol in the stadium’s right field student section. The rule has since been met with mixed reactions from students.
Senior geological engineering major Jake Moore said that while wristbands are widely used to prevent underage drinking, the method’s efficacy depends on adequate enforcement.
“I understand their concerns, but I don’t think it’ll really affect the illegal drinking unless they’ve got guys patrolling through right field,” Moore said.
Freshman chemical engineering major Will Moyer voiced a similar opinion on the new rule.
“While it will cut down on some underage drinking, I don’t think that instituting wristbands will stop those determined to drink at the games,” Moyer said.
But some students, like senior chemical engineering major Beau Craven, have expressed a more negative view toward attempts to quell underage drinking.
“They are trying to solve a problem with wristbands that they won’t ever solve,” Craven said.
While senior economics major Alex Ray also had concerns over the policy’s efficiency and effectiveness, he said that he was still waiting to see how the change worked out.
“The drawbacks seem minimal so far, but I don’t think the policy has been fully tested yet because of all the recent bad weather. As things warms up, the crowds will provide a better gauge of how smoothly things run.”
UPD Chief Calvin Sellers said the department has issued no tickets and made no arrests at baseball games this season. He explained that arrests have not been weekly occurrences in the past, but several did occur throughout the course of any given season.
Michael Thompson, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Marketing and Communications, explained the thought process behind the policy.
“We had to give UPD a consistent way of helping us deal with it. There’s no other way to do that than to make sure people are 21,” Thompson said. “A wristband is a pretty traditional symbol that someone is 21. I don’t think we were going to reinvent the wheel there.”
The start time was moved up for the Rebels’ home game against University of Arkansas Pine Bluff Wednesday to avoid inclement weather. The game is the first of six consecutive upcoming home games, which include a three-game series against third-ranked Florida.
