Beaver Stadium on a football Saturday: the sun is shining (hopefully), the Blue Band is playing (#7to1), and you’re being herded like cattle into rows by a shepherd in a red vest, better known as one of the Beaver Stadium ushers.

The ushers are hired on a volunteer basis and are there to maintain semblance of order for the seating process. While this sounds great in theory, many would agree that it doesn’t always work that way.

“Essentially, our jobs are just to ensure that students sit in the seats that are printed on their tickets,” said Andrew Barney, a current usher. “However, to make that process easier on both the students and the ushers, the ushers in some sections elect to seat the students in their rows rather than their individual seats.”

The latter method seems especially prevalent.

In instances at two games this semester, my friends and I have been pushed into our assigned row, but not necessarily into the correct seats. This has led to issues when the people who were actually assigned those seats arrive, but what is there to do? You sit where the ushers tell you to sit in order to avoid conflict.

After all, unless you are in the front rows due to Paternoville, it really doesn’t matter whether you’re in Row 20 Seat 17 compared to Row 19 Seat 11. The extra foot closer to the field really doesn’t make a difference. A row or two behind won’t matter in the long run. It’s the atmosphere of simply being in the student section that’s important–that is the reason why get up at 7 a.m. to buy season tickets and line up at Gate A hours before games.

So maybe the resentment is misplaced. The ushers may cause issues sometimes, but they’re just doing their job. Without them, entering into the student section would be even more chaotic than it already is. A free-for-all would leave more people separated from their friends and even further from their designated spot. At least the ushers do their best to place people in the general vicinity of their ticket.

One way around this issue would be simply to get to your seats earlier that way no one can take them. There will still be plenty of chicken baskets at the snack stands even if you get your seats first, but that’s a whole other debate.

What experiences have you had with the Beaver Stadium ushers? Share them below!