N.C. State fans in risers an affront to real UNC fans

TO THE EDITOR:

Anyone watching the UNC men’s basketball game against N.C. State on Saturday must have noticed the several red shirts worn by State fans standing in the upper left of the student riser section. My question is simple: How and why did this atrocity, this indignant affront to all UNC students, alumni and fans, occur? Student tickets, and especially the risers, are a privilege.

When the Tar Heels play on national television, the riser section is the ambassador for our school and our student body. Students must do their part, and that involves respecting the risers by keeping it blemish and eyesore free.

There is an outside possibility that these several State fans could actually be red-clad Benedict Arnolds: UNC student traitors. However I dismiss this as an impossibility, because any student that got into Carolina would de facto be able to get into N.C. State. Therefore, a UNC student who cheers for “Tractor U” over the “U of the People” shouldn’t exist.

However, the fact remains: Somehow, the sanctity of the risers — our risers — was violated. Those responsible should be ashamed and, ideally, be held responsible. Again, student tickets are a privilege to be enjoyed by true UNC student fans. When you abuse that privilege, you are not just letting the team down, but your University, and the entire Carolina family as well. Next game, I hope to see a UNC student riser section populated by UNC students, wearing only Carolina blue.



David Joyner
Junior
Business