EDITOR'S NOTE: In the wake of incidents at college basketball games involving the student sections at West Virginia and other schools, ESPN.com asked the sports editor at The Daily Athenaeum, the campus newspaper for the Mountaineers, for the students' perspective on appropriate standards for supporting the team.
West Virginia men's basketball coach Bob Huggins and the Mountaineer Maniacs set out in the preseason to make the WVU student section the most feared in the country.
The change that involved placing 1,000 students courtside in a standing-room only section has surely done that, just not the way Huggins had planned.
The Coliseum has become intimidating, but it has also become dangerous.
Members of the newly named "Maniac Madhouse" have drawn national attention for yelling curse words during the national anthem and chanting obscenities as well as the name of Louisville coach Rick Pitino's mistress.
Twice this season items have been thrown onto the court. Pittsburgh assistant Tom Herrion was hit in the face with an object Wednesday.
That was when we as students realized we had crossed the line.
Before that incident, which drew even more focus to West Virginia for all the wrong reasons, the debate over whether the students were acting out of line had divided Morgantown and the Mountaineers fan base -- students versus university officials, alumni and supporters.
Since then, everyone involved, including the students, has taken a proactive approach. Facebook groups promoting good sportsmanship, Maniac surveys asking for ways to improve behavior and "section leaders" planted among students in the stands to endorse positive chants have all attempted to alleviate the actions.
Well, at least to make sure no one gets hurt.
See, college students believe the chants are harmless fair game (yes, even those about another's personal scandals).
This belief isn't restricted to Morgantown, either.
Remember Oregon fans against UCLA's Kevin Love last season? Or Indiana fans who directed chants toward foreign players on the Maryland roster?
It's college. It happens. And there's little anyone except the students can do about it.
Just as Huggins is building his program into one of the nation's best, the Mountaineer Maniacs are on the verge of making the Coliseum one of the country's most feared places to play.
But criticism comes with the territory -- that's why other student sections around the country that may be doing the same thing aren't receiving the same amount of attention.
Much of WVU students' defense has been that the media coverage of game behavior has been unfair.
The truth is, we deserve it.
The actions of the crowd have embarrassed the program, the university and the state. WVU alumni and even the most dedicated Mountaineers supporters have said they are ashamed of what has transpired during the games. Many who have behaved themselves believe the same.
Have the actions hurt the program? No. Not yet, at least.
One of Huggins' proudest accomplishments heading into the season was that he was able to get all but one of the Mountaineers' 32 regular-season games on national television, and he says it's a key aspect in attracting recruits and building a program.
Huggins and WVU president James Clements now say they are worried fewer games might be televised in upcoming seasons because of harassing crowds. It's a consequence students haven't considered, but one that is hard for them to care about because it doesn't affect their ability to see games this season.
So what's going to fix this situation?
Huggins caught the crowd's attention when he yelled at students during the Pitt game, but mass confrontations create animosity and aren't a long-term solution. To truly eliminate any threat of violence at games, students need to face immediate consequences.
No, WVU administration, that doesn't mean flooding our inboxes with more polite e-mails. And cards that tell us the proper way to act are only a public relations move by the university.
Realistically, both are a waste of time and money.
The university has also discussed reducing the number of student seats to punish the poor behavior, although most of the bad conduct has been carried out by a small group of students. But cutting seats wouldn't decrease the chances of having a poorly behaved crowd, only of having an intimidating atmosphere.
More importantly, it would punish those students who don't deserve it.
Huggins has also been protective of the section, saying he wants the students to enjoy themselves in an acceptable manner because they are the program's future season-ticket holders.
With a noticeable increase in security in every area of the WVU student section Monday against Villanova, the bullying attitude of the crowd was drastically down.
The intensity was as well.
Only on three occasions did the crowd erupt in vulgar chants, although in each instance the cheer came to an abrupt halt after being overcome by a more positive cheer. Security on hand said they were ordered to remove anyone who cursed.
College students sometimes get caught up in the illusion that their behavior has no consequences concerning their privileges.
Over the past few weeks at West Virginia, the actions of our peers have snapped us out of that fantasy.
It's just a shame our behavior had to reach these heights before it happened.
Brian Gawthrop is a junior majoring in business management.