<p>I'm surprised no one here has mentioned this fiasco. It is being written about in newspapers around the country this morning. Apprently, 12,000 spirit cards were sold but they reduced the student section by 4,000 to only 8,000. This situation created a very angry crowd of students. My daughter got in but said it was a very tense situation. She was pushed, stepped on, and shaken up by the time she found a seat. She was afraid if she fell down she would have been trampled! Eventually, they let most of the "extra" students into a grassy area (standing-room only). </p>
<p>I hope this isn't the normal procedure for students to attend the games. My daughter loves football but probably won't bother if she has too be pushed around for 2+ hours waiting to get in!</p>
<p>My daughter had a similarly alarming experience, being pushed up against a metal fence which was in danger of falling over. She was worried about being trampled. She said there were only a couple people there maintaining order. </p>
<p>I looked online for President Sample's email address -- he apparently doesn't have one. I've encouraged her to contact DPS with a complaint. She loved the game but it sounds like it was a bad situation outside beforehand.</p>
<p>We assumed this was an aberration but someone told her the metal fence actually went over before a game last year. Any students have feedback on that?</p>
<p>Does anyone have suggestions about anything else students could do constructively to help assure that there is adequate security and police presence controlling the crowd before the next game? She was looking forward to the games but doesn't want a repeat experience.</p>
<p>The pushing and shoving was completely insane... at one point, one of the security guards actually picked me up because he thought I was getting pushed around and being squashed too much! I stood in line at 1:30, and there were about 50 people ahead of me. At 3:00, that 50 had grown into several hundred people who were pushing and shoving like no other. The unorganized chaos killed my energy and I was exhausted when I finally sat down in a seat. I heard there is a "town hall" meeting in THH sometime this week, I hope people go and voice their opinions. Just from my first USC football college experience, I'm not sure I'll want to go to another game anytime soon unless the entrance process is changed.</p>
<p>I got in line at 2, but that didnt even matter because once people thought the line was moving they all ran ahead. I ended up shoved between two rival frat groups who started pushing each other around and fighting. We lost part of our group, even though we were holding hands.</p>
<p>I got in line at 3 ("accidentally" cut in line). At ~3:30, the gates opened, and everyone pulsed forward. Some liquid was being poured all over my feet, security kept pushing us back at the same time the people in the rear were pushing forward, and I nearly fell over one of the barricades. At one point, the back pushed so hard that people around me fell, and I had to grab onto the person in front of me to keep from getting trampled.</p>
<p>I understand the girls on my daughter's dorm floor walked over there about 1:15, so I was surprised that they had the crowding problems when they got there so early. As the last post says, apparently taking the time to arrive early didn't end up mattering much. She said the group was split in half and they ended up sitting in two separate sections because they couldn't find each other once they made it inside.</p>
<p>USC runs everything else so professionally, it's kind of a surprise to me that this one area had such a significant problem, with all their years of football games. </p>
<p>It also seems like they must have known they'd have trouble with the seat cutbacks going in, or they wouldn't have needed to tell everyone to get there so early. If they truly thought they had room to maneuver and sell more seats to the public, based on last year's average spirit card usage, they should have been more conservative and tried cutting back from 12,000 to 10,000 seats, or something like that, not 8,000.</p>
<p>But, the bottom line is: what are they going to do about this so that everyone will feel safe on October 7th and be able to enjoy the game for which they've bought a Spirit Card ticket?</p>
<p>There was an article in the Daily Trojan last week and now another - it was a disaster waiting to happen and now it has come to pass. It seems USC "sold" some good seats in the student section to Alumni saying that not all the students who buy the card attend anyway. Well, appartently they did. This is absolutely terrible. They usually are very good with things, in this they have failed. Read the Daily Trojan comments online to find the answers to this fiasco. The students should always be well treated and not be hurt. I am sorry for the kids that were pushed. Hopefully they will act upon this to make sure it never happens again. </p>
<p>My son was there also. It has NEVER been like this. Students should be a PRIORITY at the games. Several of his friends didn't get a SAC, because they never before went over the limit on sales. This year they sold 12,000, but only left room for 8,000? My son left the game because they were so packed in the stands, it was not safe. His girlfriend went to the bathroom and wasn't let back into the stands. What a dissapointment in your senior year. Makes me nervous to bring my daughter to the game on Parent's Weekend.</p>
<p>Thanks for the forum info, I'm going to send this thread to my daughter to look over.</p>
<p>Is the forum specifically about last Saturday or more of a "general" thing where it could be brought up? Who will be attending from administration?</p>
<p>Yes, this is a new issue. Last year was fine no problems for the students. They need to change this straight away. The students are understandably very, very upset over this issue and not happy with the change this year.</p>
<p>Thanks again for the encouraging news on this. My daughter was so shaken by the experience she called us on her cell once she was seated to tell us what happened ("nearly trampled to death" was her quote). She sure wasn't expecting that at her first-ever big college football game. She and all her dorm buddies were so excited about going!</p>
<p>Fortunately the game experience itself went great!</p>
<p>The Undergraduate Student Government will hold a town hall meeting to gather student feedback about the new Spirit Card system and student seating changes. USG will host the meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at Taper Hall, Room 102, starting at 7 p.m.</p>
<p>I think the only reason students haven't mentioned this on CC is because this news is already rampant everywhere else, especially on the Daily Trojan and facebook groups. =P</p>
<p>USG Town Hall
7:00
THH 102</p>
<p>So much for my first freshman football experience.</p>
<p>edited: rdang, we posted at the same time :)</p>
<p>Not really sure. I'd imagine the office of parent programs for parents, and the alumni relations office for alumni, etc. </p>
<p>This should go without saying, but any emails or phone calls should communicate clearly that the parent/alumni/etc is upset and disappointed with the university's treatment of students, and that it is not acceptable, without being angry, insulting anyone, or making lots of (even grounded) accusations. Chances are, it's not the poor person recieving the call or email who caused this whole mess, and the message will be taken a lot more seriously if it's delivered in a forceful but respectful manner.</p>