Improved security and entrance actions were introduced for Saturday’s UA football game following the Sept. 8 game that left one student Tasered, two students arrested and hundreds of Zona Zoo members denied admission.
The number of CatCard scanners were increased from eight to 20, a measure that prevented crowd bottlenecking and allowed students quicker admittance, said Tommy Bruce, President of the Associated Students of the UA.
Students said that they noticed considerable differences compared to the previous week.
“”Last week, it just wasn’t set up right,”” said Eric Kolb, a criminal justice administration sophomore. “”It seemed like this time, they had more people and knew what they were doing.””
Sean Meritt, a psychology freshman, said entrance to the game was much quicker.
“”I didn’t have to wait in line at all,”” Meritt said. “”I could tell they changed the system.””
Other students attributed the improved results to other factors including student preparation and details specific to each game.
“”I think it has more to do with the games,”” said Ned McCarthy, a fine arts freshman. “”Last week was our first home game. We were also playing an in-state rival, so there were more people trying to get in.””
“”Everyone knew about what happened last week, so the (students) came in more prepared, knowing they had to be organized,”” said Ben Rawlins, an engineering sophomore.
Last week, Rawlins was denied entrance into the Zona Zoo section when a scanner was unable to read his CatCard. As a result, he had to go to the Zona Zoo to resolve the problem and received a general admissions ticket, he said.
“”It was just a big hassle and took a while to fix,”” Rawlins said. “”This time, my card worked fine, and there was no problem.””
The number of security personnel was also increased to 20 people, allowing for quicker bag checks and smoother crowd control.
“”We are no longer spread thin,”” Bruce said. “”We have all the necessary people doing their jobs.””
Zona Zoo members were required to enter the stadium using the North entrance, a wider entrance that allows more people to enter faster, said David Roost, Zona Zoo director.
Large signs displaying the location of the Zona Zoo entrance along with personnel communicating with students prevented student confusion and frustration, Bruce said.
“”Last week, a lot of people didn’t know exactly where to go,”” he added. “”I think it’s a lot clearer now.””
Students were informed when they bought their Zona Zoo passes that possessing a pass does not guarantee admission into events. The number of members allowed into football games is capped at 10,000 students, Roost said.
“”I think in the end, it’s all about getting (to the stadium) early,”” said David Frazin, a pre-education freshman. “”If people themselves are more organized, it makes everything else more organized.””
