TU Seems to Be Breaking Lots of Rules

After a three hour delay for lightning in the area, the University of Tulsa and Oklahoma State finally kicked off at 12:14 in the morning. The fact that the game kicked off so late may actually be a violation of some rules.

For one, when the game goes past one the noise of the game will easily violate the University’s own quiet policy which bans excessive noise after that point. The rule is meant to provide “the opportunity [for students] to exercise primary rights to sleep and study in their rooms and apartments,” and generally targets loud parties, stereos, and other disturbances within the apartment and residence hall communities. ¹ The housing policy exempts approved University functions, but the University should be mindful of the fact that the stadium’s sound system and marching bands can be heard across much of the campus and the surrounding residential areas.

More importantly though, the fact that the game even kicked off could be a violation of NCAA bylaws:

There is an NCAA bylaw that prohibits athletic activity between 12 AM and 5 AM. There is an exception for games that start before midnight.

Specifically that bylaw would be 17.1.6.6.3 ² which reads:

The game, which was schedule to start at 9PM (a later than usual start in the interests of television), never officially got under way before the severe storms rolled into the area. Due to the requirement that teams wait thirty minutes from the last lightning strike, the teams  were only able to take the field for  another round of warm-ups at 11:50. Unless the NCAA includes warm-ups in the official game start time (which it’s hard to imagine they do) or if there’s a waiver for weather-related delays in the NCAA’s bylaws that I missed, it’s hard to see how the game isn’t a violation of the NCAA’s rules.

At any rate I’m just glad I don’t have to work in the morning because I can clearly hear the noise from the stadium inside my apartment that’s a third of a mile down the street.