On average, about ten thousand people attend the jug when the game is held at Ithaca College, according to Deputy Chief Dave Dray from Ithaca College Office of Public Safety.
“It’s a day where virtually all of the staff doesn’t have the day off,” Dray said.
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The seating around the field is usually set up so both educational institutions do not mix in order to prevent confrontations between rival fans. Last year, Dray says, personnel from the New York State Police, Tompkins County Sheriff’s Department and Cornell University Police came to IC’s campus to assist with the game.
Even though the game is in Cortland this year, police still expect to see many people celebrating locally. Daily, two Public Safety officers are on duty at all times, Dray says. Starting Nov. 14 afternoon, more Public Safety officers will be patrolling campus until the day after the game.
A major change this year Dray mentioned is the increase in Student Auxiliary Safety Patrol (SASP) involvement on campus for security. The exact number of Public Safety officers and student patrols could not be shared because of safety precautions.
“We would rather be safe than sorry,” Dray said. “Our whole goal is to have all of our students, faculty, staff and visitors to have a safe and welcoming environment here at Ithaca College.”
Officer Jamie Williamson from the Ithaca Police Department says officers will also be patrolling off campus all weekend, four during the day and six at night.
“We certainly paid attention to what transpired last year in Cortland and have planned accordingly here,” Williamson said. “The number of [IPD] officers has not increased, we’ve always had large contingency of officers that we dedicate to the South Hill area during the Cortaca Jug weekend.”
Besides increasing the number of security personnel on South Hill this year, the Ithaca College community is also holding campus events to make sure students enjoy themselves while being safe. Residence Hall Association (RHA) is throwing a live Cortaca Jug Viewing Party in IC Square during the game from 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM on Saturday. There will be free food and giveaways from the IC Athletics Department.
The idea for the public viewing came from students, according to Ron Trunzo, associate director of Residential Life and Student Affairs. One of the student groups that voiced an interest in creating this type of event was Change It Up, an on-campus organization geared towards providing alternative weekend events and in depth conversations about alcohol and drinking, who is teaming up with RHA to organize the viewing party.
“It doesn’t matter to us if you drink [regularly] or not,” President of Change It Up Kris Bosela said. “We want to create a fun and social environment where people can relax and have fun if they prefer not to be around an environment where a lot of people are drinking.”
Public Safety is also attempting to curb unsafe behavior by reaching out to students before the game. On Nov. 12, from 3:00 to 4:30 PM, officers, along with the Student Government Association, student athletes and IPD, will be going door-to-door handing out informational door hangers to off campus residences. The hangers explain specifics on noise violations and how to be safe while drinking. Officers also do this during the beginning of the fall and end of the spring semesters, but this year is the first time they’ve done it for the Cortaca Jug.
Since officers will be on duty all weekend, Williamson stressed the importance of reaching out when in need.
“Don’t be afraid to ask the officers if you have a question about your party being too loud. We’re human; we’re approachable. We would much rather give people good advice and avoid a potential problem,” he said.
