Men’s rugby has become one of Guilford’s most popular spectator sports. It is normal to see upwards of 100 fans on the sideline sitting, soaking in the sun, watching the game and generally having a blast.
What is not normal is Public Safety showing up in the middle of the game to dump out people’s coolers and write-up fans for drinking alcohol on campus.
This is what happened on Sept. 6, during the team’s first match of the year. The fans were confused and upset. Nothing like this had ever happened before. The rugby matches are usually low-key affairs where authority is scarce. “It was the only match I’ve been to in all my four years playing rugby where Public Safety showed their face at a rugby game,” said Ben Snyder, president of the men’s rugby club.
Following the incident, the team was informed that because the rugby matches qualify as club events, the team was responsible for everything – including their fans. If drinking at games continues, the team could be punished. “We could lose our club status, which would mean we’d lose our money, the field – it would effectively be the death of the team,” said captain Taylor Traversa.
In the wake of this incident, rumors have spread across campus concerning security’s presence at the game. Contrary to rumor, the rugby team is not being targeted by the administration.
“One of our staff went down to support the team and saw tons of alcohol.” said Aaron Fetrow, dean for Campus Life. “People were practicing the ‘red cup’ theory, but plenty more were just drinking openly. She called Public Safety because there were just too many people there to be reasonably dealt with by one person.”
The incident has caused quite a stir and has left fans wondering if things will ever be the same. “I used to go down to field and drink a few beers with my friends,” said one fan who asked to remain anonymous. “It was never all that much; these games are at one in the afternoon after all. But now I hear Public Safety is going to start coming to all the games.”
Such sentiments are active among the fan base. The administration says that they are not trying to make an example of the rugby team and their fans or institute Draconian rule over the field. “(The incident) was an issue of consistency in school policy,” Fetrow said. “The games are on campus; people need to realize that the rules in the handbook still apply. But the team is not in trouble . they are a great club, they spend funds wisely and they have a good time.”
The administration does not expect their warning to eliminate all drinking at games. “Realistically, people are going to be sneakier and smarter,” Fetrow said. “We’ve always known there was probably beer at rugby matches. It’s part of the culture. Quite frankly, all this happened by pure accident. But we were there, we’d seen it, and we had to do something about it. I think the message is out.”
As long as fans are smart there won’t be more trouble. Senior rugby officer Chris Lampkin isn’t worried. “People usually come to the game grill, relax, and drink a couple beers; there is this myth about rugby where people are said to go and get really drunk at games – that doesn’t happen,” Lampkin said. “I think we will be okay. We just want to play rugby, and we want our fans to be able to come watch us and have a good time.