Investigating Ritualized Campus and Student Fan Misbehavior

Abstract

Students at West Virginia University (WVU) have, for the past ten years, been known to engage in what they deem "tradition" by celebrating their teams' victories through street and couch fires. WVU is not alone in this seemingly "rite of passage" as many institutions of higher education (i.e., The Ohio State University) have long endured their communities being burned after "big victories." Various psychological and sociological theories, such as Chickering's Seven Vectors of Student Development, Social Learning Theory, and Contagion Theory, were developed to investigate celebratory and aggressive behaviors associated with sport and physical activity. Literature suggests the dynamics surrounding these celebratory riots are usually part of larger social issues. While there is much historical data related to celebratory riots, few researchers systematically analyze celebratory behavior on college campuses. The purpose of this study is to analyze the reasons why students engage in this riotous behavior after "major athletic victories." Data included a comprehensive review of WVU's student judicial affairs database, West Virginia state fire and arson reports, as well as comprehensive field interviews of key officials. The data strongly supported a developmental model that points to a number of socializing factors that are not consistent with normal student development.