After a weekend postgame celebration that left a Syracuse University student injured and resulted in a Pittsburgh player being punched, those involved in security at the Carrier Dome are meeting to discuss what else can be done to ensure the future safety of all those in attendance.

William D. Ferguson, deputy director of Public Safety at SU, said there are no solid plans to increase security at SU basketball games but there will be a meeting to discuss the Feb. 1 game against Pittsburgh.

“Because of the frequency of (storming the court), I wouldn’t consider it a major problem,” Ferguson said. “We need to see what other things we can do to not decrease the celebration but also keep anyone from getting hurt.”

Ferguson said security in the Dome is a collaborative effort between the Department of Public Safety, Syracuse Police Department and the Carrier Dome security staff and that there was an increase in police presence at Monday’s Georgetown game. Each group has different roles but share the responsibility of security around the court.

Maj. Michael Byrne, the Public Safety officer in charge of the Dome detail, said Public Safety officers serve the same function as Syracuse police officers in the Dome. Officers from both organizations stand outside gates to assist in any emergencies, stop fights and patrol the Dome during events.

Byrne said it is good to see the emotion and enthusiasm students have brought to the basketball games this year but is afraid it may have gotten out of hand Saturday.

“I’ve seen the court rushed dozens of times, usually without incident, but last Saturday was more than what should have happened,” he said.

The number of students that rushed the court, combined with the fact that not all students want to rush the court or are moving as quickly as those who are coming up from behind them makes it a a dangerous situation that could lead to a student being trampled and injured as happened Saturday, Byrne said.

Pat Campbell, managing director of the Dome, said the staff knows before the game if there will be the potential for students rushing the court. He said a number of circumstances led to the high amount of emotion in the Dome on Saturday including Pittsburgh’s earlier defeat of SU and the fact that the game took place on a Saturday allowing for a higher attendance and more tailgating.

“From the minute we showed up at Gate E we could tell it was going to be an electric atmosphere,” he said.

Campbell said although storming the court after a big win has become a fad, in the time leading up to the end of the game, security tries to discourage fans from gong onto the court. But if it is something that is going to definitely happen, the first course of action is to be safe and not risk a situation where a mob is pushing forward.

“The main concern is getting the players, coaches and officials to their locker rooms and keeping the crowd from hurting themselves,” he said.

Campbell said there is not a need for increased security because the current level is adequate and there should not be an overreaction based on an unusual game like the Pittsburgh game.

Although some feel that security is adequate there is a question of whether more security could be supplied if it was desired.

There are a limited number of police officers available to work events at the Dome, said Lt. Joe Cecile, a Syracuse Police Department spokesman. Police officers receive training in how to deal with large crowds and maintain order in chaotic situations and are well suited for situations like students rushing the court.

“The best way to prevent it is to start taking photographs and issuing statements saying that students will be expelled or punished in some way if they storm the court,” he said.

Matt Sheaffer, a sophomore computer science major, said rushing the court has become a part of the college experience.

“I think it’s awesome how they rushed the court,” he said. “We even got on ESPN.”

Published on February 4, 2003 at 12:00 pm