The desired effects from a summit last February during which more than 150 leaders in intercollegiate athletics, higher education and government took part seem to be gaining momentum. The summit to raise awareness and initiate national communication among key stakeholders about sportsmanship and fan behavior not only has prompted a national distribution of a "best practices" package, it has spurred more localized efforts to reduce unsportsmanlike incidents at athletics events. Following are just some of the ways in which conferences and campuses are addressing sportsmanship issues.

Southeastern Conference

The SEC already has enacted proposals that league members say will "promote and demonstrate the positive aspects of sportsmanship at future SEC sporting events." The league's athletics directors approved a general sportsmanship statement that states in part:

"For intercollegiate athletics to promote the character development of participants, to enhance the integrity of higher education and to promote civility in society, coaches, student-athletes and all others associated with these athletics programs and events should adhere to such fundamental values as respect, fairness, civility, honesty and responsibility.

"These values should be manifest not only in athletics participation but also in the broad spectrum of activities affecting the athletics program. It is the responsibility of each member institution to establish policies for sportsmanship and ethical conduct in intercollegiate athletics consistent with the educational mission and goals of the institution."

SEC schools will feature public address announcements, video spots and game-program advertisements at home contests. Institutions also will place radio, television and print advertisements in its media inventories.

The league also developed a formal policy on items being thrown onto the playing field/court. Each SEC school has adopted a "zero tolerance" policy for such behavior, which will result in violators being ejected from the stadium or arena.

SEC schools also agreed that in football, visiting teams will not be allowed to come back out onto the stadium turf to celebrate a victory, and the visiting team's band will be allowed to "Sportsmanship is one of the most important principles of intercollegiate athletics," said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. "With these actions, the SEC continues to put the issue of sportsmanship in the forefront for coaches and student-athletes as well as fans who attend sporting events at our venues. We want our coaches and student-athletes to display proper sportsmanship at all times and our fans to feel safe and welcome at all of our events."

The Virginia Tech athletics department has announced a "Hokies Respect" campaign designed to promote first-class fan conduct at all Virginia Tech sporting events.

"It is our strong belief that every single person plays a role in good sportsmanship," said Virginia Tech Athletics Director Jim Weaver. "That includes the players, the coaches, the support staff, the fans, the band, et cetera."

The campaign comes with a logo, which says "Hokies Respect: The Moment, The Opponent, The Game, Themselves, The Competition." The stated objective of the campaign is to "empower Hokie fans to become caretakers of their college game day in Lane Stadium and Cassell Coliseum."

As part of the campaign, Virginia Tech will mail an insert piece along with all season tickets for football and basketball; develop a television public service announcement; and include the "Hokies Respect" logo on stadium concession cups, schedule posters, video boards, and all student and general public tickets.

Weaver also conducted a Sportsmanship Summit August 28 in which American Football Coaches Association Executive Director Grant Teaff delivered key sportsmanship messages to the football team, members of the athletics department staff, other Virginia Tech student-athletes, student body leaders, booster groups and members from the Blacksburg and surrounding community.

New Hampshire is hosting a student-led summit September 19-21 called, "Promoting Responsible Celebrations," which will examine the growing trend of large-group civil disruptions on campuses and in communities. Student and administrative leaders at New Hampshire established the conference in response to postgame celebratory riots that occurred after New Hampshire played Minnesota in the Men's Frozen Four championship game, and similar events that have taken place on college campuses across the country.

The summit will convene teams of students, university administrators, faculty and community members from other schools to discuss the role of campus climate and culture and the enforcement of campus codes and criminal laws. The goal of the conference is to build a deeper understanding, develop constructive ideas and identify traditions that promote healthy celebrations.

Daniel Wann, associate professor of psychology at Murray State University, will be the keynote speaker. His talk, "Understanding Sports Spectator Violence," will focus on the different levels and causes of spectator violence -- from individual acts to full-scale riots -- and offer suggestions for colleges and universities to help manage and prevent future events. Wann, who has written a book and numerous articles on fan behavior, also was a panelist at the Summit on Sportsmanship and Fan Behavior last February in Dallas.

"The summit will provide an opportunity for people to think about ways to prevent further events of this kind," said New Hampshire President Ann Weaver Hart. "Research done by Ohio State University and the NCAA shows that solving the problem will take a long-term, multifaceted approach led by students and supported by the university and community. New Hampshire is committed to playing a leading role in changing celebratory behavior, and we realize that it will require consistent, committed effort over time."

Representatives from Michigan State University; Ohio State University; Plymouth State University; Syracuse University; the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; the University of Connecticut; the University of Michigan; the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; the University of Rhode Island; and the University of Vermont are expected to participate.

New Hampshire has established a Web site (http://www.unh.edu/studentsummit/index.html) to serve as an ongoing reference for colleges and universities. A summit summary and recommendations will be posted, and an electronic forum will be available to generate ongoing discussion of best practices and more preventative game management.

Ohio State University

A two-day conference addressing how to respond to or even prevent celebratory riots has been planned for November 20-21 at Ohio State. The seminar will be co-hosted by the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Both Ohio State and Minnesota experienced postgame celebratory riots on their campuses last year. The incidents that occurred on the Ohio State campus and in the surrounding community after the Buckeyes' football win over the University of Michigan in fact were used as a case study during the sportsmanship and fan behavior summit in Dallas last year.

Barbara Rich, Ohio State assistant vice-president for student affairs, said the conference featuring administrators, city and state government officials and law enforcement personnel "will be structured as an opportunity to share information and develop strategies to respond to and prevent these kinds of postgame riots that have occurred around the country."

The conference will include remarks from a keynote speaker (yet to be determined) and panel presentations that focus on both the university perspective and the city perspective in relation to celebratory riots. There also will be an expert to provide an opinion on mob behavior.

University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Nebraska administrators developed a packet of "Husker Sportsmanship" materials for the fall sports season, which includes posters touting the Big 12 Conference Spectator Code of Sportsmanship that league alumni directors drafted and approved three years ago.

Nebraska President Harvey Perlman said several groups, including the Nebraska Alumni Association, the athletics department, the Lincoln Journal Star newspaper and the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, collaborated with his office to develop the sportsmanship campaign.

"The effort already has received positive reinforcement from the media, the community and fans," Perlman said.

The group created a slogan -- "Great Fans, Great Sports," that will be extensively displayed at Nebraska events this fall. Posters with the slogan and the Big 12 code of conduct have been placed in downtown businesses and restaurants, in student housing and with alumni chapters across the country.

The code of conduct also is featured on the university, alumni, athletics and Journal Star Web sites and in a variety of publications. Ads in the newspaper welcome the opposing team's fans before each home football game, and public service announcements promoting good sportsmanship can be heard on radio broadcasts before, during and after contests.

"Several campus organizations are working to encourage good sportsmanship among Nebraska students," Perlman said. "Plans are under way in fact to make a Council on Spectator Sportsmanship a permanent part of campus traditions."

NCAA

The NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct also is active in sportsmanship issues. The committee is seeking nominations for the 2004 NCAA Sportsmanship Awards and has tweaked the criteria to expand recognition. Committee members also have recommended that the NCAA apply misconduct polices and procedures in place for NCAA championship competition to regular-season play as part of NCAA operating bylaws.

For the award, the committee has determined it will select one male and female student-athlete from each of the three divisions to receive the NCAA Sportsmanship Awards next September and be officially recognized at the 2005 NCAA Convention.

The nomination process is conference driven, with nominees required to have "demonstrated consistently good sportsmanship and ethical behavior in their daily participation in intercollegiate athletics." Previous winners of the award were recognized for a particular act of good sportsmanship.

As for giving sportsmanship policies more teeth during the regular season, committee members noted that the bylaw related to student-athlete misconduct exists only in Bylaw 31.02.3 and is applicable only for NCAA championships. The group supports also locating the misconduct legislation in Bylaw 17 (which governs playing and practice seasons), and referencing the legislation in Bylaw 14.01.3.3 (ethical conduct), which would mean a student-athlete could lose eligibility if he or she engages in misconduct during the playing and practice season.

The Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee also has supported this idea.

The committee also has suggested ways to raise awareness of sportsmanship issues and improve behavior during competition. They include:

Development of a video that depicts sportsmanship as a role-model behavior for coaches and student-athletes.

Eliminating or discouraging unnecessary dialogue among officials, participants and fans during contests.

Increasing emphasis and frequency of public announcements regarding fan behavior and sportsmanship at games.

Encouraging coaches to emphasize sportsmanship during radio and television programs.

Emphasizing the "Know your Role" concept with coaches and on-campus administrators (for example, players should play, coaches should coach, officials should officiate and fans should support in a positive manner).

Developing a sportsmanship handbook that covers every area of game-day preparation, including fan behavior, bands, cheerleaders, coaches and student-athletes.

Determine how to restrict or control alcohol intake before and during contests by collaborating with campus and security agencies.