Kaos
01-Apr-2008, 01:41 PM
http://media.www.bgnews.com/media/storage/paper883/news/2008/03/26/Campus/Bg.Undead.Searches.For.Support.To.Use.Nerf.Guns-3283454.shtml
BG Undead searches for support to use Nerf guns
By: Ryan Sullivan (http://www.bgnews.com/)
Issue date: 3/26/08
The University might hamper the second round of BG Undead's game play after the announcement was made last week to place an immediate ban on the use of Nerf guns on campus.
The game, a version of Humans versus Zombies, is still going to be played but it's going to be more difficult for the humans to survive, said senior Atonn Smeltzer, the web administrator for the group.
Humans versus Zombies is a game played between two teams, the humans and the zombies.
The goal of the humans is to survive the zombie attack by not being "bitten" and turned into a zombie. The human's main form of defense used to come in the form of Nerf guns, but is now being downgraded to balled up socks and marshmallows.
The zombies win the game by turning all of the humans after placing both hands on a human's shoulders.
"All of the game play will still be the same, just no Nerf guns," Smeltzer said.
Smeltzer said he and group president Peter Geldes were called into a meeting with Associate Dean of Students Jeff Coats to discuss one of the University's new policies. While in the meeting, the group was told the game was in danger of being canceled due to the number of calls the University received last semester from concerned parents.
After Smeltzer and Geldes pleaded their case, the University notified them a few days later and told the group they were allowed to play their game, just without the Nerf guns, Smeltzer said.
"We were caught by surprise [by the ban]," Smeltzer said. "This was last Tuesday and we received a call on Thursday banning guns."
Not all members of BG Undead are taking this as the final word from the University. Several members have started a petition to get the University to allow the game to use Nerf guns, Smeltzer said.
He said groups from other universities have shown support for the petition, including Ohio University's group, which has sent electronic signatures to add to what BG Undead has collected.
"We have been in contact with the game creators and their school [Goucher College] and they are in favor of it," Smeltzer said.
Smeltzer said BG Undead is going to be featured in an article by the Washington Post about the game itself and how well the group is organized compared to other branches. He is hoping the University will use this as motivation to allow the use of Nerf guns.
Geldes said the decision was brought about by the President's Cabinet of the University and they were seriously considering canceling the game altogether.
University officials were not available by press time for comment.
Nerf has donated weapons to the group for use before and is in support of BG Undead, but they are not an official sponsor.
This might help persuade the University to allow the use of the guns again, Geldes said.
"One of the players last semester had an uncle who worked for Nerf," Geldes said. "[Nerf] came to the University, talked to the group, did a Q-and-A and gave us Nerf equipment to use."
Geldes said he has not heard of any other schools banning the use of these guns, but has heard of a school in Nebraska banning an assassins game that involved sneaking up on people and shooting them with small water pistols.
The group is trying to get the students, faculty and staff of this and other universities that participate in Humans versus Zombies to sign the petition to reinstate the Nerf guns as a show of support.
My daughter and I have some Nerf Guns. Looks like we have a new game.
BG Undead searches for support to use Nerf guns
By: Ryan Sullivan (http://www.bgnews.com/)
Issue date: 3/26/08
The University might hamper the second round of BG Undead's game play after the announcement was made last week to place an immediate ban on the use of Nerf guns on campus.
The game, a version of Humans versus Zombies, is still going to be played but it's going to be more difficult for the humans to survive, said senior Atonn Smeltzer, the web administrator for the group.
Humans versus Zombies is a game played between two teams, the humans and the zombies.
The goal of the humans is to survive the zombie attack by not being "bitten" and turned into a zombie. The human's main form of defense used to come in the form of Nerf guns, but is now being downgraded to balled up socks and marshmallows.
The zombies win the game by turning all of the humans after placing both hands on a human's shoulders.
"All of the game play will still be the same, just no Nerf guns," Smeltzer said.
Smeltzer said he and group president Peter Geldes were called into a meeting with Associate Dean of Students Jeff Coats to discuss one of the University's new policies. While in the meeting, the group was told the game was in danger of being canceled due to the number of calls the University received last semester from concerned parents.
After Smeltzer and Geldes pleaded their case, the University notified them a few days later and told the group they were allowed to play their game, just without the Nerf guns, Smeltzer said.
"We were caught by surprise [by the ban]," Smeltzer said. "This was last Tuesday and we received a call on Thursday banning guns."
Not all members of BG Undead are taking this as the final word from the University. Several members have started a petition to get the University to allow the game to use Nerf guns, Smeltzer said.
He said groups from other universities have shown support for the petition, including Ohio University's group, which has sent electronic signatures to add to what BG Undead has collected.
"We have been in contact with the game creators and their school [Goucher College] and they are in favor of it," Smeltzer said.
Smeltzer said BG Undead is going to be featured in an article by the Washington Post about the game itself and how well the group is organized compared to other branches. He is hoping the University will use this as motivation to allow the use of Nerf guns.
Geldes said the decision was brought about by the President's Cabinet of the University and they were seriously considering canceling the game altogether.
University officials were not available by press time for comment.
Nerf has donated weapons to the group for use before and is in support of BG Undead, but they are not an official sponsor.
This might help persuade the University to allow the use of the guns again, Geldes said.
"One of the players last semester had an uncle who worked for Nerf," Geldes said. "[Nerf] came to the University, talked to the group, did a Q-and-A and gave us Nerf equipment to use."
Geldes said he has not heard of any other schools banning the use of these guns, but has heard of a school in Nebraska banning an assassins game that involved sneaking up on people and shooting them with small water pistols.
The group is trying to get the students, faculty and staff of this and other universities that participate in Humans versus Zombies to sign the petition to reinstate the Nerf guns as a show of support.
My daughter and I have some Nerf Guns. Looks like we have a new game.