Something to cheer about at the U

The symbolism is no accident. More than 5,000 incoming University of Minnesota students will gather this week at the new football stadium and, with the help of the marching band, form a huge "M" that will be photographed from above. ¶ Football is returning to the campus after a 28-year exile, and with it comes the hope that the stadium will bring much more than just the sport. ¶ Done right, it could get students more engaged, increase alumni contributions and instill a profound sense of pride in a new, grand tradition. Done wrong, it could bring more of the rowdiness that has rocked Big Ten campuses -- and the U itself.

"After 20 years of not having football on campus, we'll be rebuilding what that means, rediscovering that for a generation that has no idea," said Jerry Rinehart, vice provost for student affairs. "We have a unique opportunity to get that right."

Interest in the outcome spreads far beyond Minnesota. The Gophers' TCF Bank Stadium is the first Big Ten stadium to be built since 1960. So the spotlight is on.

As a freshman two years ago, Paul Strain bought season football tickets and bused over to the Metrodome for every game. But even in the student section, he said, the place felt more like Vikings and Twins territory than it did Gophers.

"I just don't feel Gopher maroon and gold when I'm sitting in a purple seat beneath a white ceiling," said Strain, who's now a junior and also is president of the Minnesota Student Association.

He believes that will change in seats that spell Minnesota.

Rinehart does, too. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, things can get "a little crazy," he said, but fans cheer the whole game and stay to see the marching band play afterward. "You didn't see much of that enthusiasm at the Dome," he said.

Of the more than 50,000 seats in the new stadium, students got about 10,000. So just as important are the students who won't be at games.

As part of "Welcome Week," first-year students will explore the space, get lessons about game-day behavior and learn cheers, said Mandi Soderlund, assistant director of student unions and activities.

"We think it's really important to get students excited about being Gophers," she said, citing studies that show that the more engaged students feel, the less likely they are to drop out.

"Having this new stadium is a huge opportunity to create a new era of sportsmanship and spirit."

Hours before kickoff, a "fun zone" will try to attract students -- whether they have tickets or not -- from surrounding neighborhoods.

The university surveyed about 1,600 students to see what events they would attend. Live music performances got high marks, while movies and video games got no love. "We'll see what actually brings a crowd," Strain said.

Throughout the year, the stadium will host activities far beyond football. Recreational sports will try out the turf, career fairs will fan out across the place and, should the nation's president stop by, crowds will gather there to hear him speak. The U is exploring the idea of a university-wide commencement program in addition to colleges' smaller ones.

"There'd be something nice -- something unifying -- about having the whole class together," Rinehart said.

What to do about the rowdies?

Yet the campus culture has changed since Memorial Stadium last stood.

Other Big Ten universities have struggled with everything from fans passing out beers in the street to tipping over cars and starting fires. Fresh in the university's own memory is a Dinkytown "Spring Jam" in April that got out of control.

After a key Ohio State victory over Michigan in 2002 triggered the "worst celebratory rioting in the history of OSU," said Richard Morman -- that school's deputy chief of police -- the university launched a task force and a change in attitude.

For years, partying had been accepted and policing had been lax, said Mike Penner, assistant athletics director for event management at Ohio State. After the riots, the university used footage of fans as part of an extensive campaign to encourage sportsmanship. An extra 50 officers cracked down on drinking, policing off-campus neighborhoods on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

"It was probably very unpopular with our football fans," Penner said, but it worked. Behavior has improved.

Fun, within limits

The U learned from Ohio State's lesson.

On Sept. 12, fans will step into a detailed plan designed to keep them in check without killing fun, to promote spirit without forcing new traditions and to police drinking without creating a police state.

"You don't want to have things so tightly controlled that no one feels they can have a good time," Rinehart said. "On the other hand, you don't want to have a free-for-all atmosphere, where drunken revelries drive families away."

An expanded police force will patrol the campus, parking lots and surrounding neighborhoods. Although enforcement of underage drinking laws will be "aggressive," during the first season, police "will not be out to give everyone a ticket," said University Police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner. "We want to educate folks and let them know what the rules are."

Many of those rules rely on voluntary compliance. Tailgaters must agree to a list of policies. The Greek community agreed to ban game-day drinking on their lawns. The latter has rankled alumni, said Derek Dahl, president of the U's chapter of the Sigma Pi Fraternity.

"They're saying that some 60-year-old guy can't have a beer while out on our lawn," he said. "In my personal opinion, it's a bit of an overreaction. If it's in a concealed container ... it should be OK."

But neighbors have their own worries. They regularly deal with parties at the beginning of the year, and the new stadium "will exacerbate what's already happening," said James De Sota, neighborhood coordinator for the Southeast Como Improvement Association.

"If something as relatively small as Spring Jam can cause this kind of mayhem, what happens when you add 60,000 people? What happens if they win? If they lose? If they play Wisconsin?"

Each Monday after the games, a group from around the university will meet to debrief. Were there problems with tailgating? With traffic? Did people have enough fun? Too much fun?

The Southeast Como Improvement Association, too, will host an online feedback forum for neighbors.

"Oh geez. It's scary," Rinehart said. "So many people have put so many hours and years into this. I can't think of a stone we've left unturned. I guess we'll find out Monday morning."

Jenna Ross • 612-673-7168