Loss of 'Highball' toast leaves football fans in a crusty mood

It was not only the football team's close loss Saturday that had fans in a crusty mood. It was also because Spectraguards confiscated loaves and bags of toast, used in the traditional "Drink a Highball" song, from students all over the stadium. Hit especially hard was the Penn Band, which had a garbage bag full of toast taken, Penn Band President Paul Luongo said. Luongo, a College senior, said that a guard at the East Gate of Franklin Field took the bag from him. The guard's supervisor then told Luongo that there was not a ban on toast itself, but on the number of slices allowed. "[He said] that the policy was that each person is allowed four pieces per person," said Luongo. "And if we had divided up the toast, it would not have been a problem." Luongo added that the "fact that it was in a garbage bag made it illegal, kind of boggles the mind." Assistant to the President Nicholas Constan said last night that a regulation on the number of slices of toast did not come from the University administration. "[It's] ridiculous," said Constan. "What I suspect is that probably some Spectraguard has been a little zealous." Constan added that "Sheldon Hackney kind of likes the tradition." Wharton junior Marty Nelson said that his "king-size loaf of white bread" toast was also taken away from him when he entered Franklin Field. Nelson said that a Spectraguard told him no toast was allowed in the stadium. "And we told him we have been bringing toast to games for the past two years," he said. Nelson added that he dropped the loaf at the guards feet and went to the game. But after seeing other people enter the stadium with toast, Nelson's friend, Engineering junior Michael Firstenberg, went back to claim his loaf. At this point, Firstenberg said he was followed and grabbed by the guard, and taken to see the man's supervisor. The supervisor told Firstenberg that there is a five-year ban on bringing toast to the games in bags. Firstenberg added that another Spectraguard then told him there was a three-year ban. The Engineering junior added that these explanantions run counter to what the original guard told him -- that there was a "janitorial strike." "I'm a traditional type of guy. I came to Penn since it has 250 years of tradition," Firstenberg said. "I don't understand why spot enforcement is stopping me from observing the foremost tradition of Penn football." "There is no reason to get rid of a fine tradition and toast-throwing keeps a lot of people around to the end of third quarter when a game has been less than competitive," said Nelson, who added that he will smuggle toast in to Franklin Field for the next home game. Luongo said that not only does this rule "put Penn traditions in straightjackets," it also presents a safety concern. "If you take toast away, what's next is the band will be pelted with frozen bagels and that's what I don't want to see," he said. Echoing similar sentiments, Constan said "toast is pretty harmless and it's become a tradition and that's fun, but the line between toast and other objects could sometimes be a narrow one." He added that if one throws frozen food, such as a bagel, "it might as well be a rock." Constan added that of more relevant concern is trying to convert the Zamboni that sucks up the thrown toast "into a bread crumb factory." "I think we can market the stuff," the Wharton professor added.

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