The BG News

Issue date: 10/24/06 Section: Campus

Media Credit: Jordan Flower Arrest: A University officer pats down Oscar Connell yesterday. Connelll was citied for inducing panic, as he carried a Nerf gun around while participating in the campus-wide Humans vs. Zombies game.

Kelly Kaczmarek was sitting in her ethics class yesterday afternoon, when a campus police officer came to question her about having what appeared to be a weapon.

Kaczmarek was one of several students carrying toy Nerf guns on campus as part of a week-long role-playing game called Humans vs. Zombies.

But the game ended after less than four hours of play when University police began issuing citations to students who were participating.

Police arrested two male students in Olscamp about 3:30 p.m., escorted another student into the police station and issued Kaczmarek a citation. Three students were carrying brightly-colored Nerf guns, and a fourth was carrying a small black Nerf gun.

The students were issued citations for disorderly conduct, according to Chief Jim Wiegand of the University police. Weigand said the students created a panic situation by carrying what appeared to be firearms on campus.

"We do not allow weapons or facsimiles of weapons on campus," he said.

The police began issuing citations after receiving several phone calls from people concerned that weapons were being carried on campus, according to Wiegand. He also said police were being cautious in light of the recent shootings around the country.

But students questioned whether Nerf guns look enough like real weapons to warrant citations.

"They're bright yellow and blue," said Megan Pirrung, junior. "It says 'Nerf' on the side."

Adam Curtis, a sophomore participating in the game, said police should have taken the appearance and the type of weapon into consideration.

"If it's a toy gun, every 5-year-old in town is probably going to own one," he said.

The game's premise involved students playing zombies trying to turn those playing humans into zombies. Those playing humans used tactics and Nerf guns to avoid being turned into zombies. Kaczmarek was upset about being issued the citation.

"The rules we had were designed specifically for safety of people inside and outside of the group," she said.

Pirrung said all players could clearly be identified by each other because they each wore orange bandanas.

Aryn Griffis, senior, immediately called her freshman brother, Jory, after finding out he had been one of the first two arrested for playing the game. She said police told him the maximum fine for the citation is $100, although police could not confirm it last night. Police also couldn't confirm the total number of students who were issued citations.

Students questioned why University police were taking action against the players when similar role-playing games are traditionally played at other universities, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Sgt. Clarence Henniger, of the MIT police, said MIT allows a group of students called the Assassins Guild to hold similar role-playing games each year because the students inform the police of the game ahead of time. The police know when and where the game would be played and what equipment would be used as weapons.

"As long as no one is injured or anyone's rights are violated, we don't see any problem with it," he said.

But he guessed the response of the MIT police could be different if they weren't informed of the game. He said if students held a similar game without informing the MIT police and concerned community members called the police, then the police would likely respond.

Pirrung didn't think BGSU students needed approval from the University Police or the administration, but that informing the police ahead of time could have prevented the citations.

But Wiegand said that if students had informed police ahead of time, facsimiles of weapons would still not be allowed on campus.

Students were sorry to see the game end.

"The game was a good idea," said Terry Quickle, sophomore. "It was just trying to allow people to have fun on campus without destroying anything or hurting anyone."

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