Student opinions requested for post-game event

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Tweet East Lansing and university officials are thinking about throwing their own Final Four after-party, with hopes it could prevent celebrations from getting out of control should the MSU men's basketball team make a run in the NCAA tournament this April.

But the key questions remain unanswered — including what to do, where to do it and whether the city and university even want to do it.

"I don't think anybody is dead set for or against this," said East Lansing City Manager Ted Staton.

The independent commission that reviewed last April's disturbances — which followed the basketball team's Final Four loss — recommended the city and university consider holding an approved event.

But the biggest question for any event, officials say, is finding out if students will come.

MSU researchers hope to answer that question through an online survey which could be e-mailed to a random sample of about 1,800 undergraduates as early as today.

The survey will ask students what kind of an event they'd be interested in attending, and where they would want such an event to be located.

A special celebratory events committee, with representatives from both MSU and the city, will discuss and possibly plan an event, eventually recommending a course of action to the East Lansing City Council.

The committee should begin evaluating the survey results by mid-February, not leaving much time if the city and university decide to hold an event, said Pat Enos, MSU's assistant to the vice president of student affairs and services. She said they would need to begin planning "yesterday."

Similar events held on campus in past years haven't had much success, and Enos said input she's heard from student focus groups hasn't been very enthusiastic.

But some MSU students weren't opposed to the idea of an event.

"I would want a more lax atmosphere — as long as people have a cool attitude and everyone that wants to celebrate could come," said business sophomore Tony Grace.

Students listed a wide range of factors that might make a sanctioned event interesting to them, including free or discounted food, a pep band and the sale of alcohol.

"You'd have to be 21 to drink, so that might deter younger cats from coming to this gathering," said psychology sophomore Josh Harrison.

East Lansing officials in particular have been reluctant to offer up city property for an event.

"The city feels that these kinds of events would happen, ideally, on university property," Deputy City Manager Jean Golden said.

Enos said she hasn't gotten the impression university officials would object to some kind of on-campus event.

But historically, crowds have gathered in the Cedar Village area and downtown East Lansing, which Staton said poses a problem for traffic and policing.

"After the game, we don't really think downtown East Lansing is a place to come to look for a party," Staton said. "If you're just looking for a place to hoot and holler, downtown's not the place to do it."

Staff writer Lindsay Machak contributed to this report.

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