U. vows to stop goal posts from being torn down

Citing safety concerns, officials say they'll arrest any students who rush the field tomorrow. University administrators have a message for Penn students: Come to tomorrow afternoon's football game against Harvard at Franklin Field. Be loud and boisterous. But please, for safety's sake, stay off the goal posts or prepare to be arrested and charged with disorderly conduct -- sooner or later. "Students are not going to be allowed on the field after the game," Penn spokesperson Ken Wildes said, citing concern about students' safety -- not possible litigation or other factors -- as the only reason for the policy. "It ceases being fun when someone's skull is smashed by a goal post. It would be a very unfortunate consequence of a very happy day." It's not the first time Penn officials have threatened to keep students off the field and videotape anyone who does make it on. They said essentially the same thing in November 1995, a year after the last time students tore down the goal posts, as the 3-1 Quakers, in a three-way tie for second place in the Ivy League, headed into a highly anticipated Homecoming matchup with 4-0 Princeton. There would be no celebration: The Tigers won that game, 22-9, effectively dashing Penn's title hopes. Tomorrow, the 4-1 Quakers can clinch at least a share of the Ivy League title by beating the 3-2 Crimson, who are in a four-way tie for second place. It would be Penn's first Ivy title since 1994, when they also beat Harvard, 33-0, to clinch the title outright. Following that game, students rushed onto Franklin Field, tore down the western goal post and tossed it into the Schuylkill River. But they almost threw it the wrong way, onto the busy Schuylkill Expressway, which could have caused massive chaos and injuries. Also, two police officers and about seven students were injured. At other schools, students have been killed or trampled trying to do the same thing. The big question remains: Is safety enough of a reason for administrators to make every effort to abolish a Penn tradition and provoke considerable anger among students, many of whom say it is one of few events that bring together the entire campus? John Buchanan, a College sophomore and a member of the Undergraduate Assembly, said he was angry that he might never have the chance to take part in the custom. "This is something that's been done for God-knows-how-many years," Buchanan said. "I hate that they're trying to destroy the tradition." But both Wildes and University Police Chief Maureen Rush insist that fans' safety is their primary concern. And they insist that taking steps to protect students' safety is just cause for the administration to prevent them from running onto Franklin Field. "I don't think people should be able to successfully argue that tradition is more important than lives," Rush said. "We would be remiss if we didn't attempt to do this." Wildes and Rush refused to disclose the specific methods they will use to prevent students from rushing the field tomorrow. Both said that students could face legal ramifications for violating University policy. "Anyone who would dare to attempt to get close to the goal posts will be arrested," Rush said, explaining that those caught would be referred to the University's internal judicial system. "If there's a massive number of people, obviously we will not be able to arrest everybody," Rush said. She added, however, that students could later be identified with the help of hand-held video cameras -- the same threat officials made three years ago. This year, however, Rush said her officers will be much better prepared than in 1994. The "attempt" to keep students off the field after that game "wasn't put together the way that we're putting this one together," Rush said. She stressed that the administration's "intent is not to be autocratic. It's to point out factually that people have been hurt. There have been deaths due to this kind of situation." Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer Ben Geldon contributed to this article.