On Oct. 14, the MHS football team played Port Chester for its very first homecoming football game on the new turf Memorial field. This game brought another first, too: anyone who planned on attending the game was not allowed to bring in beverages and bottles or any sort of backpack, purse or bag.

Students were notified of these rules a couple of days prior to the event in school. Students were also informed that many police officers would be present at the game to monitor the students’ behavior. It seems as though this new rule was an attempt to crack down on teen drinking.

The night of the game, however, proved that these rules came with some complications. Many students went directly to a friend’s house after school, and then to the game, without stopping at home to drop off their backpacks. The enforcement of the ‘no bags’ rule left these students bewildered as to what they should do with their backpacks. Most likely they called someone to pick up their bags, or perhaps they hid them somewhere where they could retrieve them at the end of the game.

This wasn’t a catastrophe— just a large inconvenience. A better solution is perhaps to allow bags, but to enforce the no beverage rule, possibly penalizing any crowd member whose bag contains a beverage.

The bottle and beverage rule is very understandable, because it relates directly to drinking. However, there should be a stand at the games that sells water bottles and other beverages at all times to compensate; if people are thirsty, they shouldn’t have to leave the game for an extended period of time.

Another issue that many crowd members experienced was the police officers’ refusal to let many students and parents onto the bleachers. A couple of minutes into the game, the police officers declared that the bleachers were full and turned away many fans, instructing them to sit on the grass instead. This enraged many students who were unable to mingle with their friends during an event which is typically a social experience.

These new rules may have prevented overcrowding and teen drinking to some degree. For the most part, though, MHS students are respectful and careful at school events. Perhaps these rules should be reconsidered so that the students who do not plan on engaging in any illegal activity are not inconvenienced.