> >But:
> >Boston University = A private institution that can enforce rules....
> >Paid Attendance Ticket = Implied contract that obligates the bearer....
> >Thus endeth the little sideshow.
>
>Thank you Barnum.
 
Oh good, I must have gotten it right, because someone's resorting to
calling me names.  If you're looking for the person who first implied
this was a sideshow and asked for an end to it, that would be the
gentleman whose post I was replying to, not me.
 
>So, you are saying the University of Massachusettes cannot
>enforce the same rules because it is a public institution? Wrong.
 
I didn't say anything of the sort, but thank you for putting words
into my mouth.
 
>(2) Regardless of what is acceptable vs not or what is legal vs not, the
>bigger question is how the authorities deal with it -- THEIR tolerance for
>behavior that deviates from the mean and THEIR sensitivity to behavior THEY do
>not like. Some, like the writer from Cornell who justifies throwing people out
>of arenas for swearing because there are others willing to pay to get in point
>out that administrators are willing to treat people with no tolerance if the
>revenues justify that treatment. Others, like David Carroll, are more in the
>camp of Nathan Hale -- willing to defend one's right to speak what they think
>even if they do not agree with it. This is not a discussion about what is
>RIGHT OR LEGAL, but how administrators are willing to treat people they
>disagree with. When I compare swearing to forcefully removing someone (without
>refunding their ticket price) from an event, I tend to thing the greater evil
>is with the latter.
 
This began as a taste issue, but partly digressed into an argument
about whether or not it was legal to throw people out of games for
using profanity.  The only point on which I expressed a viewpoint was
to challenge the absurd notion that the First Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution has anything to do with a college's policies on fan
behavior.  I stand by my statements, and would enjoy any attempt to
refute anything I've *actually said* on the matter.
 
That having been said, here's my viewpoint on the original issue:
 
Although I am saddened by the trend toward the "bottom line" being
the deciding factor behind the decisions of any hockey program or
college, the notion that it is somehow evil also disturbs me.  I've
been a Cornell hockey fan for about thirteen years now, and although
some of what the Lynah Faithful say is of course amusing, some of it
crosses a line that I would prefer it not cross, and I'm quite sure
that I'm not alone.
 
I would like Lynah to retain the "character" that makes it such a
special place, and an intimidating rink to visit as an opponent, and
yet I would like it to be a place where I would feel comfortable
bringing my own children in the future.  I don't think those two
desires are contradictory, and I'm delighted that Cornell's program
tries to find a healthy middle ground.
 
The fact remains, however, that purchasing a ticket to an athletic
event *anywhere* is an implied contract.  Every arena has rules; some
even print them on the back of the ticket for easy access by fans.
If you buy a ticket, you're agreeing to abide by those rules.  Once
you break those rules, it's entirely within that institution's rights
to remove you from the event.  If you resist, it's within the rights
of their police or security force to escort you off the premises.  If
you don't want the consequences of your actions, choose your actions
more carefully.
 
I suggest that if you want to change the rules, you should talk to
the people who make them, but I wouldn't expect them to bend
completely to your will when they have people like parents or the
elderly expressing contrary viewpoints.  I think Lynah has found a
healthy medium in recent years; others may disagree.
 
And as for breaking the rules to make a point - civil disobedience
has its place, but if you plan on using it at hockey games, you
should also plan on missing some third periods.
 
--
Jeffrey "Beeeej" Anbinder '94                     [log in to unmask]
Reunion Campaign Officer                          (work) 607-254-6106
Cornell University                                (fax) 607-254-7168
http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/jta1/
 
"Wealth is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons."
        - Alan Konigsberg
 
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