Athletics is the front porch of the university. And the front porch is on fire.

Sport is not the heart of the institution. Teaching is. Sport is not the soul of the university. Research is. Athletics events, however, often provide a person's introduction to a university, its ethos and its culture.

The concept of athletics as the front porch became literal this football season after West Virginia upset Virginia Tech. More than 90 "celebration" fires were set in Morgantown by fans, despite police efforts to remove old couches and debris from porches and yards where students lived in rental housing.

After a Frozen Four game last year, fans from New Hampshire and Minnesota threw rocks, smashed windows and set fires. About 200 police battled 6,000 fans. A Minnesota student was quoted as saying afterward: "Riots are in the top three memorable college times of my life. When else do you see all those students come together to do one thing?" It makes you wonder what his top two experiences were.

Minnesota is a great university. If this attitude is prevalent at that socially conscious institution, it is likely to be found elsewhere.

And it is. Sports riots or postgame hooliganism have taken place in the last two years at Ohio State, Michigan State, Clemson, North Carolina State, California, Washington State, Washington, Purdue, Marshall and Penn State.

Postgame problems often stem from stadium problems. Present in every university stadium today is behavior that was unthinkable two generations ago and unacceptable one generation ago. Crude verbal abuse of the visiting team's fans is commonplace. Physical confrontations among fans occur with increasing frequency. After witnessing one incident, one 11-year-old told his father, "Daddy, maybe we shouldn't go to away games any more."

What can be done? Here are several suggestions for athletics administrators.

Coaches must set the tone. Recently, a basketball coach at one university said, "I cannot be responsible for the behavior of the fans." How wrong he is. Coaches can make a huge difference if they choose to do so. But too many are concerned about creating an intimidating atmosphere where the crowd is the "sixth man" or the "12th man."

Never allow fans to rush the field or the court. There is not one professional sports league that allows fans on the playing surface. The pros understand the legal liability assumed when a mob is allowed, even encouraged, to invade the athletes' territory. End this counterproductive tradition. Pursue legal action against every fan who does not comply.

Encourage a buddy system at games. Reward with free food and soft drinks designated "stadium buddies" who stay sober to make sure their friends get home safely. If you think free food and drinks are expensive, wait until you get the plaintiff's attorney's contingency fee bill.

* Make it easy to call for help. Give fans a number (800/FAN-HELP perhaps) they can use to reach security personnel easily. Callers give their name, section and seat number, reducing the likelihood of crank calls and pinpointing their location. Fans are tired of being harassed by belligerent drunks.

Prevent re-entry of halftime drinkers who leave the stadium. Some arenas are doing this already.

Train peer educators. Students trained to identify problems and resolve conflict should receive free game tickets in return for notifying the campus police of a budding problem. Call them "Athletics Ambassadors" or "Game Day Hosts," but let's get the students on our side -- educated, informed and in a position to help.

Spell out expectations. Tickets should have a brief "privileges and responsibilities" statement printed on them. The days of "I bought a ticket, I can do whatever I want" are over. Lay out expectations for the privilege of viewing an event and hold fans accountable.

Give game referees more power. Empower officials to have more authority and discretion to curb fanatical behavior. Dangerous behavior could elicit a warning, an assessment of a time out or even points, a change of possession, and finally forfeiture.

University athletics must send new signals to fans. It's time to fix the front porch.

Lynn Lashbrook directs Nova Southeastern University's online master's degree in sports management.6SPOR