I didn't know that. Pretty lame. They also play "Smells like teen spirit" and "Livin on a prayer" at some point too.
You won't get an argument from me there. I'm simply pointing out that if the objective is to stop the behavior, then it's a lazy and ineffective tactic. LSU holds town hall-style meetings open to students every time somebody sneezes on campus. If the administration really sees this as a big problem, they can hold a series of these as part of a campaign to get students on board with policing themselves. Will it work? Hard to say, and I can understand skepticism. We pay a lot of people in the AD to come up with solutions to problems like this. LSU is committed to the current policy because it's just easier for them to ban the chants/songs. It takes time and effort to try to engage students in an attempt to actually solve the problem, and LSU doesn't want to put in the work. If they tried and failed, then they do so knowing they've done everything reasonable to try to fix the problem, and you'd get no further argument from me on the bans.
This has been done. The AD has written letters. The Band Diorector has written letters. There have been huge controversies in The Reveille over it. Most of the students claim a "right" to do whatever they want to whenever they want to. Others understand that they are treading on Tiger Band's toes.
Sporadic letters and Reveille editorials are not a sustained, longer-term effort. Half-hearted measures do little to reverse trends that have been years in the making, and it's clear that the student section vulgarity has gotten out of control. In most endeavors the results are commensurate with the effort. The AD and Tiger Band director evidently believe that the costs of a long-term outreach/awareness commitment outweigh the potential benefits, and have chosen the path of least resistance.
Aren't there still 'laws' on the books about foul language in public? Or in the 'student code'? It's LSU property, remove them from the stadium (I know, I know... don't start) Students don't *need* the band to perform particular songs for them to bleat their profanities, they do it regardless; Smoking is banned in the stadium, as is alcohol (yeah, I know we all have our flasks...). Can't the student government, *greek* organizations (honestly, it *does* look like 'the frat boys behaving badly' from the outside'), and other student organizations speak out more against it?
When I was a marshal I'd ask that that the ones in my earshot lay off the vulgarity. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not. I do think if the threat of removal was in play it may curb the actions. I know several years ago the police threatened to remove an entire section due to cup throwing. After that, not one cup came from that section.
Living on a prayer started as a halftime tune in 2005. They played it in the show that came to the student section and the students loved it so they kept it as a stands tune. Every once in a while they do this. Smell like teen spirit is more recent (within the last two years I believe) and I don't know if it started as a halftime song or just a stands tune.
Good feedback in this thread but haven't seen much of a response to the hand motions. Take the 2nd down song for example. The hand motions have changed from the early 2000s to now. Why? Does the band have anything to do with them or just a few random students that eventually get the others to catch on? I like the current version of the 2nd down better than the former. For the defensive stop song, I realize it's been around forever. How long have the hand motions existed?
Oldish topic, I know but came across this and thought it was appropriate ;p~ [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_pNFmtEb8A"]How to Fit in at Tiger Stadium - YouTube[/ame]
