Since game times are changing,

[Diamond Girl]

It may be a good time to change some of the seating in Ford. Right now, the opponents band and fans get pretty good seats on the southeast side of the stadium. The south end zone is open and, therefore the noise they make isn't muffled and carries really well across the stadium.

By contrast, our fans who don't buy season tickets get to sit in the end zone seats, our students and band sit in the northeast corner of the stadium, and the noise and music that's made get muffled and lost in the stadium's black hole. As we experienced last season, it's so bad the athletic dept. thought that micing the band would solve the problem; it only exagerrated it by echoes and feedback.

Why not move the opponents fans and band to the north end zone area where their noise can be muffled, and they can be squeezed in between SMU fans, and put the Mustang Band and SMU students in the southeast area where their music and cheering can better resonate throughout the stadium?

Just an idea, but maybe it's too logical.

[ponyscott]

It may be a good time to change some of the seating in Ford. Right now, the opponents band and fans get pretty good seats on the southeast side of the stadium. The south end zone is open and, therefore the noise they make isn't muffled and carries really well across the stadium.

By contrast, our fans who don't buy season tickets get to sit in the end zone seats, our students and band sit in the northeast corner of the stadium, and the noise and music that's made get muffled and lost in the stadium's black hole. As we experienced last season, it's so bad the athletic dept. thought that micing the band would solve the problem; it only exagerrated it by echoes and feedback.

Why not move the opponents fans and band to the north end zone area where their noise can be muffled, and they can be squeezed in between SMU fans, and put the Mustang Band and SMU students in the southeast area where their music and cheering can better resonate throughout the stadium?

Just an idea, but maybe it's too logical.

That is such a good idea and also its a longer walk back to the frat/soririty houses..maybe they will think twice about going back and actually stay for the second half...nah..the noise concept is good. Why wouldn't they do that? What issues are there?...

[Diamond Girl]

the noise concept is good. Why wouldn't they do that? What issues are there?...

I believe originally the powers that be wanted to have a continuous flow of SMU fans that'd go from the southwest seats all the way across to the visitors seats.

[couch 'em]

Isn't that how it was originally? I know the band used to be down on the open end.

[smu diamond m]

That's a terrible reason if that is why the Uni put the student section where they did. Tech crammed our band in the equivalent of the north end zone, in what felt like a dangerous purgatory sandwich of the worst fans in the world. Hell, I'd even be more okay with a section of students on EITHER side of the visitors section.

[i phone money]

That is a good idea. The vistors noise carries so well were they are. I am always suprised by how loud they are.

[Wuba]

It may be a good time to change some of the seating in Ford. Right now, the opponents band and fans get pretty good seats on the southeast side of the stadium. The south end zone is open and, therefore the noise they make isn't muffled and carries really well across the stadium.

By contrast, our fans who don't buy season tickets get to sit in the end zone seats, our students and band sit in the northeast corner of the stadium, and the noise and music that's made get muffled and lost in the stadium's black hole. As we experienced last season, it's so bad the athletic dept. thought that micing the band would solve the problem; it only exagerrated it by echoes and feedback.

Why not move the opponents fans and band to the north end zone area where their noise can be muffled, and they can be squeezed in between SMU fans, and put the Mustang Band and SMU students in the southeast area where their music and cheering can better resonate throughout the stadium?

Just an idea, but maybe it's too logical.

I am not a sound guy, so could you explain this to me? How does having more seats to the band and student's right muffle the sound? I would have thought that being by the open end would cause some of the opponents band and fans' sound to escape out of the south end of the end zone since there is no raised stadium there to hold the sound in.

[Longtime]

Indeed, Tech puts visiting fans and support groups in the end zone. Terrible seats, not good sportsmanship, when other schools usually put visitors at least somewhere along the sideline.

They do that because Tech promised students a huge allotment of the best seats on the non-pressbox side as part of deal to up their fees for athletics. In other words, a tax on the students the way UNT does it.

It may be doing the visitors a favor to keep them away from the heart of the student section. In reality, putting the visitors on the fringe of the Tech student section probably creates more problems. At Tech, it's festival seating for students - the gates open, there's a rush to grab the best seats. But that means the kids who really want to see the game sit on the 50, and the stragglers - the drunks and kids just there for the scene - stroll in late and are sent to the corners right next to, you guessed it, the visitor's section.

Putting the visitors in the SE corner at Ford works well. I don't believe the sound carries better from that part of the stadium - it's just when a visiting band comes, it's usually bigger than the Mustang band. If anything, the Mustang band should benefit from the sound bouncing off the seats in the north end.

A better solution is that we all donate to the Mustang Band's foundation and get the band up to a size where microphones and acoustics aren't an issue. Next time you make a donation to SMU, earmark it for the band. The administration got a shock this season when we fans let them know how sacred we hold the tradition of Peruna. Trust me, they will try to tinker with the band, too, unless we show them with our donations.
Now that the football team has finally gotten up to a competitive level, it's time to take care of those that have stood by the team through thick and thin - the Mustang Band.

[Junior]

That is a good idea. The vistors noise carries so well were they are. I am always suprised by how loud they are.

A lot of that noise may actually be me. My seats are on the visitors 50.