Pure chaos erupted this past weekend at the SLU Women’s Volleyball match against the number one ranked team, Penn State.

No, I am not talking about the game itself. I am recalling the pre-match reception hosted by SLU’s athletic department.
While the food and drink line went smoothly, the distribution of the free T-shirts to the first 500 students was a complete disaster. Instead of establishing some sort of ordered process, the athletic department staff allowed students to enter a free-for-all for a coveted SLU blue T-shirt. Students charged forward, pushing toward the front due to the confusion of the process.

Mayhem broke out, which created a potentially dangerous situation. Staff passing out the free gifts seemed angry and irritated at students, throwing shirts left and right while shouting and screaming at everyone.

Last time I checked, the Athletic Department was in charge of this event. More control over the crowd should have been enforced. If they had set up lines for the different shirt sizes and had more staff present, this pre-game party would have been completely successful.

Instead, it left a salty taste in the students’ mouths right before one of the biggest sporting events of the year at SLU.
Increasing student support and school spirit at athletic events with these pre-game receptions is a great idea. However, without better planning and organization, these events do nothing to increase Billiken pride.

Vance Erese, Doisy College of Health Sciences, Senior