UNC Police Shouldn't Punish Fans

I got painfully sunburned Saturday after having to stand up for hours with nothing to eat. And it was worth it.

It was even worth all the resources this University dedicates to sports, often before things like education and intellectual growth. While renovations on the Student Union drag on and on, you can bet the varsity football players all have new shoes -- and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I am referring, of course, to Saturday's athletic contest between the football teams representing UNC and the Florida State University.

A game that brought onlooking Tar Heel fans a feeling of pure ecstasy, a feeling that totally justifies free tutoring for student athletes. They've earned it.

How I pity my roommate, who missed out on that feeling. He left at halftime with the Heels down by two points, predicting the game would be a landslide. He was right, of course, but only half right.

Another friend of mine missed the game altogether. "How bad was it?" she asked when I talked to her later.

"Forty-one to nine," I said.

"Well, at least we scored."

Yes, Carolina scored. Oh, and then scored again. And again. And again. And so forth. And beat FSU at football for the first time ever.

And for only the third time in recent UNC history, hordes of crazed fans tore down one of Kenan Stadium's goalposts. (See front-page story.)

The last two times one of the posts fell to field-storming celebrations both followed victories against Georgia Tech, once in 1992 and most recently in 1994, when both posts were uprooted.

In the '94 incident, public safety officials rightly decided not to go after any of the perpetrators. And although the damage caused to the new goalpost Saturday might have been as much as five times more expensive, officials should pursue a similarly lenient policy toward mob enthusiasm now.

But students should not let that encourage them to attack goalposts in the future either. The reason it took so long for the post to fall -- 40 whole minutes, longer than I would have thought it physically possible for a drunken frat boy to concentrate on one goal -- was that it had been designed to be difficult to break.

And the reason for that design, also the reason why taking down the posts isn't necessarily such a great idea, is that it's dangerous.

When the metal of the goalpost breaks, it creates sharp edges that can cause serious injury. That danger was a major concern in 1994, a year in which fans at several other schools experienced victory celebrations marred by emergency trips to the hospital.

Furthermore, the incredible structural integrity of those goalposts made them expensive to build.

All that being the case, certainly there are other, equally expressive ways to show some enthusiasm and school spirit in the wake of a major victory.

Much as there are ways of celebrating a basketball victory over Duke that beat out flipping over some unlucky woman's car. That unfortunate incident happened as recently as last spring. Police officers tracked down the car-flippers, but the victim generously decided not to press charges after the students paid for the damage.

In this case, too many students were involved to try to punish them, and the rush of mob mentality mitigates the inappropriateness of their action. And it would be unfair to press the same charges against someone who just pushed on the post or someone who jumped up and down on top of it.

Personally, I would suggest officials let students know that no action will be taken against the rioters, but announce the athletic department will accept cash donations from any fans who might be feeling remorse now that their heads have cooled --