Student Committee To Hold Fan Behavior Forum

A student group at the University of Maryland will host Terrapin head coaches, campus officials, alumni and fans on Monday, May 3, to discuss fan behavior surrounding Maryland Athletics contests. The event, which will be held in the Colony Ballroom in the Stamp Student Union at 7 p.m., is being advertised as "an open forum about the First Amendment, sportsmanship, and Terrapin Pride," according to Fan Behavior Task Force chairman and University of Maryland senior David Krieger.

Krieger"s group organized the event as part of their mission to find a student consensus on fan behavior, and wishes to use the forum to engage in open dialogue that might lead to policies that would help shape fan behavior at athletic events. Assistant State Attorney General John Anderson advised the campus in Mid-April that the school could adopt a "carefully drafted" policy that prohibits offensive speech at University events.

"We"re looking to gauge both on-campus and alumni sentiment on the issue of sportsmanship and fan behavior, and we are eager to hear suggestions that could be enacted into policy." said Krieger. "We believe it is vital that the coaches express their opinion and leadership on this matter."

Former Maryland basketball All-American and current ESPN analyst Len Elmore, who played for the Terps from 1972-74 and in the NBA for 10 seasons before graduating from Harvard Law School, will act as the moderator for the event. Members of the University Board of Regents are also expected to be in attendance, according to Krieger. The forum is free and open to the public.

Maryland Director of Athletics Deborah A. Yow, head basketball coach Gary Williams, head football coach Ralph Friedgen and head soccer coach Sasho Cirovski are among those planning to participate in the event.