Tiger football fans face new security restrictions

COLUMBIA - Tiger fans will have a new hurdle to clear at home football games this season.

In addition to the standard bag check at entrances to the stadium, fans' items must be able to fit in a 16-inch square plastic box, no deeper than 9 inches, roughly equal to the amount of space under each seat.

Colleen Lamond, director of game operations for the athletics department, said the restrictions are in response to complaints about people bringing in items that spill into adjacent seats.

Lamond said it's common practice among college venues to use "sizing boxes" as a way to limit what people bring in.

As usual, Lamond said, there will be express lines for people without bags. She encourages people to bring as little as possible.

"It will make entry into the stadium quicker for them as well as everyone," she said.

Fans who can't do without their belongings will need to meet the space requirements enforced by bag checkers with plastic bins on tables.

"Bag checkers will ask the patron to place down their purse or their bag, and we do a visual search of the bags," Lamond said. "We're not necessarily searching with our hands. We're not using wands or dumping out the patron's purse."

There are some exceptions for special objects like diaper bags, provided they are actually carrying diapers.

Kathy Ungels, administrative assistant for the athletics department, said there are no new restrictions on the type of items people can bring in.

"This year we're pushing the size of the items," she said.

A list of restricted items such as umbrellas and strollers can be found at mutigers.cstv.com.