In the midst of the rally towels swinging for "Sandstorm," there are a handful of students being ejected from Williams-Brice Stadium by police.
What's been happening in the student section?
One student was in the student section without a wristband. When he tried to prove he was a student and did indeed have a lower deck ticket, a police officer took his wallet and proceeded to eject him from the game.
鈥淚 think what [the police] did was wrong, so I definitely want to bring awareness to it,鈥� one student said.
The students 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒 spoke with requested to remain anonymous.
A student at the Kentucky game was not personally affected, but said while sitting in the stands, he noticed many students being ejected. Instead of being escorted out, cops were also taking wallets and phones without the students' permission, he said.
Whether or not that was the officers' intent, students began to feel targeted and tensions rose during the game.
Tension peaked after a student threw one of Kentucky's footballs out of the stadium and a handful of officers went to address the student. Surrounding students were seen yelling at the police and throwing objects at them until the officers exited the section while students cheered.
鈥淚 saw this one kid," the student said. "He had his hands in his pockets and was just walking up the aisle basically, and this policeman just ran after him, pulled his hands out of his pockets to see that he didn鈥檛 have a wristband on, and then he took him out of the game."
Every student interviewed said they recognized they were in the wrong for not complying with wristband policies, but said the police could have disciplined them in a more professional manner.
Some of the actions police take with students do not pan out as smoothly or professionally as they intend according to University of South Carolina police captain Eric Grabski. He said he wants students to come to the station and address anything they feel is a violation.
鈥淥ur strategy isn鈥檛 to go fishing," Grabski said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e doing it because we really are serious about safety, and we鈥檙e going to take whatever measures we feel we need to appropriately keep folks safe.鈥�
However, one student disagreed. He said he felt as though a missing wristband wasn't enough reason to prompt police to take a wallet.
鈥淚 just thought they were there for general safety, but they weren鈥檛 making sure people were safe," the student said. "They were just trying to basically get kids in trouble for fake IDs.鈥�
Issues between students and police in the student section go beyond wristbands.
One student said he went to the restroom about one hour into the game. When he returned to his seat, a man in a black polo told him he had to go to a different section. The student tried to get his belongings from his original seat and a police officer told him he couldn't.
鈥淭he cop takes me out to the student conduct table, and I鈥檓 very confused at this point," this student said. "[The officer] starts talking to the lady, and he鈥檚 like, 'The fire marshal told him twice that he can鈥檛 come through because there is too many people and he wouldn鈥檛 listen."
He said he had no idea the man was a fire marshal, nor the reason he couldn鈥檛 go to his seat.
鈥淟ooking back at it and knowing that they didn鈥檛 want people in because there was too many people, I feel like that鈥檚 reasonable, and if they told me that I would have been like, 鈥極h, well can I come back later, because all my friends are over there,鈥�" the student said. "But they wouldn鈥檛 tell me why.鈥�
Grabski has been working the student section since 1968, and said he wants students to know the intent behind every action taken in the student section is to keep people safe.
Students give up some of their rights at the Williams-Brice gate
Each student goes through a security check upon entering the stadium which 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒 law professor Seth Stoughton said is standard practice, but that doesn鈥檛 address an officer individually searching a student.
According to the SEC ticket policy, fans consent to search of themselves and all items carried onto the premises of the event. They also agree with the SEC's terms and conditions, which are stated in the ticket policy.
When a student requests and accepts a student ticket for Williams-Brice Stadium, they are agreeing to these terms and conditions. The issue of students being searched at football games is not under student ticket office jurisdiction. It is an SEC rule.
Students have the right to say no, according to the Fourth Amendment, but saying no can lead to ejection and a potential ticketing privilege loss.
Stoughton said police often feel they don't have to explain their case, but lack of explanation doesn鈥檛 mean they don鈥檛 have a purpose behind their actions. In this case, when police choose to search or to question a student, it鈥檚 because they feel the person is being disruptive.
Students and officers both want the games to be fun and safe while being treated justly and respectfully, so what鈥檚 the problem?
鈥淚t turns out that people, community members, all of us, care a lot about the way that we鈥檙e treated," Stoughton said. "Often we care more about the manner in which we鈥檙e treated than what happens to us."
Stoughton said when the public feels they can trust the officers, they are more willing to comply with policies. The issue at this point is the two sides have hit a standstill because both feel disrespected by the other.
When students feel officers are out to get them in trouble, and officers feel students are trying to disobey policies, this can result in tension.
鈥淭he Fourth Amendment does not require officers to be polite, there is no legal rule that requires officers to be polite. It鈥檚 a really good idea. It's basic professionalism," Stoughton said.