Although the number of charges filed for public intoxication jumped in 2005, fewer than 200 fans were arrested or cited at ISU football games for the second consecutive year, according to statistics released by the Department of Public Safety.

During six home football games in 2005, 187 citations were issued, the majority being for underage alcohol consumption, said ISU Police Capt. Robert Bowers.

In 2004, 177 tickets were written on six home game days, while 285 were issued in 2003 and 216 in 2002, according to DPS. Seven home games were held in the 2002 and 2003 football seasons.

The number of public intoxication charges experienced the sharpest increase last season, with 36 incidents compared to 19 in 2004, 22 in 2003 and 24 in 2002. The average drunkenness of those arrested also rose in the past year, from a blood alcohol content of .172 in 2004 to .203 in 2005.

Bowers said he is not ready to draw any conclusions based on the recent numbers, although the number of arrests and citations are within the expected range of variation. He added that not every person arrested for public intoxication is tested for blood alcohol content, which can skew the average.

“It’s really dangerous to draw conclusions from one year to the next,” Bowers said.

A number of factors are most likely responsible for the fluctuations in arrest numbers, Bowers said. The Sept. 10, 2005, game versus intra-state rival Iowa is one possible reason for the rise, he said, because thousands of fans spent the day of the big game entrenched in the tailgating lots without a ticket to the game.

This year’s statistics were not shocking news, said Sara Kellogg, prevention program coordinator for the Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention Office.

“I don’t know if it’s surprising, but it’s concerning,” she said. “It indicates that they are drinking more, or drinking more in a short time.”

Kellogg said that she believes alcoholic consumption is an established part of the football experience at an institution such as Iowa State.

She also said that the ISU Police Department cannot do anything more than it is already doing to control pregame gaiety.

The pervasive party atmosphere and heavy drinking are not limited to the student tailing lots either, she said.

“I think it’s part of the culture of the larger institutions with the Division I teams,” Kellogg said. “I think that it is part of the culture and the atmosphere. Sometimes it’s not just college students – it’s alumni.”

Kelly Paige, junior in art and design, said she agrees that drinking on fall Saturdays is part of the college football experience.

“I don’t believe football is an excuse to drink,” she said. “I just think it’s something fun for people to do. It’s part of being a college student.”