As the N.C. State football team was falling to Clemson Saturday, there was an even bigger problem in the stands — dehydration. This problem was not confined to just a few people. Approximately 100 people had to be treated, with six having to be transported to Rex Hospital. Luckily, there were no serious injuries, but next time temperatures rise, the situation could be different.

Students and other Pack fans sitting in Carter-Finley had few options to cool off and hydrate on Saturday afternoon. The lone option was to buy a $3 bottle of water, which all sold out by halftime. There weren’t any other mechanisms by which fans could cool themselves off or hydrate until bottled water was replenished at the end of the third quarter. These were factors that caused fans to become dehydrated, suffer heat stroke or exhaustion.

Those that come to Carter-Finley should be provided with options of how to keep cool and hydrated. The health of those who attend games must be a high priority to game operations officials.

Cool zones should be set up across the stadium to provide relief to spectators during hot days. These cool zones could have coolers with paper cups for fans to come by and drink so that they don’t become dehydrated. No one should have to pay three dollars to maintain their health during a hot day. The cool zone could provide fans with a mist tent, where water mists out of PVC pipes, to prevent heat exhaustion or stroke.

Currently, health tents have tap water and ice, but this is not well advertised. By having the designated cool zones it will provide clear direction to fans of where to go for relief.

To be effective, students need to be proactive in seeking out the cool zones. The University can only do so much to aid students — the rest is up to them to take their health in their own hands.

Carter-Finley should not be seen as a place where the heat can beat the spirit of fans. It doesn’t look good to have people fainting because they can’t get anything to drink or cool off. This problem is easy to solve, so let’s all take a moment and cool down.