Less than two months after the University restricted access to the Hill in an unprecedented fashion, Virginia Athletics announced Wednesday updated policies for the grassy area on the north end of Scott Stadium. The changes were made in response to high levels of student dissatisfaction following the first two home games. While some updates represent laudable improvements, ultimately, most of the “updates” hardly fit the bill and others are going to present yet more problems.
When the initial policies were announced in August, Virginia Athletics cited capacity and safety concerns as the main reason for implementing them. Virginia Tech fans had just taken control of the Hill and stormed the field for the second time in three years that past November. The University responded by forbidding single-game ticket holders from accessing the Hill.
Under the August rules, several different categories of fans, ranging from University students to season-ticket holders, were among those allowed into the area against Richmond and Maryland. This did not include single-game ticket holders. That list of groups has remained exactly the same following the new set of changes, which are debuting Saturday against Boston College — during Homecomings Weekend, no less. With Family Weekend also coming later this month, it is concerning that the numerous parents and alumni who purchase single-game tickets will be denied access to the Hill.
Unsurprisingly, the University cited enhanced safety again in its Wednesday announcement. But an addition to this statement was its insistence that the updated rules will help provide a “positive experience for spectators.” I am puzzled by that second assertion, considering they are still prohibiting many of those spectators from entering the most iconic part of the venue.
As for an actual change, Virginia Athletics will no longer be issuing white, circular stickers to students and other guests who enter the Hill. The stickers, which were limited in number, were meant to help ushers differentiate between fans who were allowed re-entry and those who were not. If a fan arrived early enough to receive one, they were permitted to leave the area and return with no problem, had they managed to hold onto the sticker.
The University ran into an issue with that system during the first two home games. When the Hill began to clear out in the second half and the ushers were all out of stickers, fans were denied access to the Hill despite it being well short of full capacity. The old way of doing things clearly had to go, so the University is now granting re-entry to the Hill on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached.
While the change will help avoid the nightmare scenario caused by the stickers, I fear the new policy will bring about another one — when the Hill is packed for a given game, spectators who leave at any point may not be allowed back in, no matter how early they initially arrived. Between bathroom visits, trips to the concession stand and other miscellaneous reasons for temporary exits, most Hill-goers don’t stay there for the game’s entirety.
And how might the re-entry policy affect fans who attend the game with friends or family? Groups may have to decide between leaving the Hill altogether or running the risk of being split up if those who depart aren’t allowed re-entry. That doesn’t seem like a “positive experience for spectators.”
In short, starting Saturday against Boston College, students and other patrons on the Hill will be disincentivized from leaving for any period of time. Virginia Athletics even implored fans to “arrive early to secure a spot on the Hill.” That is ominous language. Moreover, it proves that the part of Scott Stadium that used to be welcoming to everyone has turned into an area for which you need to “secure a spot.”
I appreciate the University for working with student organizations and other groups in trying to address this issue, especially when staying out of the public eye and not admitting fault would have been easier. Some of the changes made public Wednesday, like the use of queuing lines at the Hill’s five access points and the elimination of the sticker system, are necessary. And making those changes after just two home games shows a sincere desire to fix the problem.
But none of it gets at the glaring problem, the one that is staring everyone in the face. The Hill is one of the only aspects of Virginia’s football program still worth experiencing, and right now, it is a shell of what it once was. At the continued expense of tradition, these changes are not worth it.
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