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The NCAA is rethinking its policies on alcohol in relationship with college athletics. KSMU's Justin Pointer files this report.
A published report in the January 27th Edition of USA Today says the association's top rules-making body, the Division 1 Board of Directors, has begun a review of alcohol related policies.
These policies range from advertising guidelines to the allowance of stadium and arena beer sales at local, conference, and national levels of competition.
Southwest Missouri State University Associate Director of Athletics Dr. Darlene Bailey says the Missouri Valley Conference, which includes SMS, has already held discussions about these issues. Bailey says "There is a hightened interest in alcohol related policies, some stemming from an incident that occured in an NBA game before Christmas. SMS has had discussions about security on campus and also to improve our sportsmanship".
The incident Dr. Bailey reffered to occured November 19th in Detroit, when a riot broke out between fans and players during an NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons.
The incident has been blamed, in part, on alcohol consumption by fans.
Bailey says incidents like this are hard to avoid, but SMS is taking steps to diminish the chances of fan conduct escalating to that level.
"We have done several things with public service announcements and our placement of security officers at events. Every once in awhile we have to tell someone to calm down, but we hardly ever have to eject someone from a game", Bailey says.
The NCAA's Division 1 Board of Directors is set to meet in Indianapolis in April, when it will decide whether the NCAA would, or legally could, dictate restrictions to schools.
Right now the association prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages only at championship events. However, more than a quarter of Division 1-A schools say they allow sales of alcohol at their own events.
In the meantime SMS will continue with its policies that restrict the sale of alcohol at all athletic functions excluding the new Hammonds Field Stadium which sells alcohol during SMS Bears and Springfield Cardinals Baseball Games.