Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long announced via Twitter that the UA will be policing signs used on game days. Prior approval is needed to bring a sign into the stadium.

It's going over on Twitter about as well as you'd expect. Check a few of the responses in the attached photo.

Here's the tweet:

All signs Students and Fans would like to display at FB games must be approved in advance. Call Julie Cain at (479) 575-3134 for approval

Long later tweeted this was not a new policy.

A couple thoughts:

•What did Julie Cain ever do to anybody do to deserve this?

•Arkansas has now invited fraternities to be as creatively dirty as possible. College bros live for that sort of thing. We'll no doubt be introduced to a whole new vocabulary this fall.

Here's the policy as it is worded in the UA fan guide:

Any signs and banners could present issues regarding fan safety and the ability of others to watch the game (i.e. signs blocking the view of others etc.). Since the policy has been established, we have been working with students and others to allow some pre-approved signs into the venue. The approval process would include review of the size, physical makeup of the signs as well as assurances that messages displayed on the signs would not potentially create game management issues by inciting other fans or creating crowd management issues. Our primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of our fans and provide the best game experience for all fans. All of our policies and procedures are targeted at those goals.  

I've reached out to the UA to discuss a few more details about the vetting process. Outside of emailing the policy wording they declined to expand on the proces mentioned in Long's tweet (which generated national attention, but offered little context).