Carter-Finley Stadium turns 50 this year, and ushering in its anniversary season is a series of policy changes, set to take effect during the first football game of the year Thursday as the Wolfpack takes on William & Mary.
One of the changes that will be most immediately evident to those attending Thursday’s game is the new “Clear Bag Policy,” which states that any bag that is larger than a clutch or small purse is prohibited unless it is a clear tote, with the exception of diaper bags as long as they are accompanied by an infant. According to NC State Athletics, the new policy is in place to ensure a safe atmosphere at the stadium.
Fred Demarest, Associate Athletics Director for Communications and Marketing at NC State, said these new policies were to the benefit of those attending games this season and are in line with what many comparable stadiums have already put in place.
“They’re a combination of trying to create the best experience possible for all spectators and participants, based on feedback we’ve received from patrons, and following the best practices as it relates to game-day safety,” Demarest said in an email. “The Clear Bag Policy is one of the critical additions for 2016, we do ask that those attending the opening familiarize themselves with it, as it is a departure from previous years. It’s designed with safety in mind, and is very much in line with what is happening nationally at venues of similar size.”
Along with the clear bag policy, the NC State University Police Department has purchased two bomb-sniffing dogs for their K-9 units. The dogs will serve largely the same function as airport security dogs, checking stadium visitors on the way in for any explosive material, even in trace amounts. The dogs are Labrador retrievers, specially trained in detecting potential explosive threats in large crowds of people. According to the department, the dogs are not aggressive but officers still ask that attendees refrain from petting them so as not to distract them from their duties.
The compost initiative at Carter-Finley will return for a second year, according to NC State’s Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling. The program builds on an initiative founded during last year’s football season to redirect organic materials that would have gone to landfills and creates compost that will in turn be used as nutrient-rich fertilizer. Visitors will be able to find compost stations on the concourse level staffed with volunteers to help make sure waste is discarded into the proper receptacle.
Matt Harmody, a senior studying biomedical engineering, said that he has never brought a bag into a game, so the policy wouldn’t apply to him or people he knows.
“There’s really not many reasons to bring bags into a game,” Harmody said.
Robert Sculthorpe, a junior studying exploratory studies, said that he feels the changes are justified, so long as the end result is a safer environment.
“It seems dramatic at first, but I’m not too upset about getting better security,” Sculthorpe said.
Sculthorpe believes policy changes are a measured response to a more risky environment.
“No one involved in a major attack ever thought it would happen to them.”
*All information on the clear bag policy, including what is and isn’t prohibited can be found on http://gopack.com/sports/2016/8/15/clear-bag-policy.aspx
