T’was the day before Panda, and all through the school,
The students were daydreaming, of a football team that’d rule.
The tickets were bought from all different places,
In hopes that Pedro would be back with friendly embraces.
The 24-hour countdown to the annual Carleton Ravens versus University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Panda Game has begun, and that means students are desperately looking for last minute tickets and figuring out their plans for tomorrow morning.
The game begins at noon at the TD Place Stadium but doors will be opened at 10:30 a.m. for people who want to get there early and participate in onsite activities.
The University of Ottawa claimed victory last year, winning with a score of 38-27. With the Gee-Gees ruining Carleton’s four-year winning streak, you can bet Carleton students are hoping their Ravens can pull off a win tomorrow.
The tickets at Carleton sold out the fastest they ever have, with students scooping up the entire Carleton stack in just 10 days.
Although these homecoming games have appeared to be a nuisance across Ontario, with police attempting to ban street parties in Kingston last year, Carleton appears to be taking a friendlier approach this year.
Carleton University Students Association (CUSA) has been working on a door-knocking campaign in order to go out into the community and remind students to be respectful when partying and make other residents aware of the festivities to come this weekend.
#CUBeAGoodNeighbour kicked off earlier this week, with CUSA executives knocking on doors and handing out pamphlets in neighborhoods that are annually affected by the rowdiness of students on Panda Game day.
Carleton’s Student Experience Office is also hosting a volunteer clean-up the morning after through their Campus to Community Day initiatives, where students can opt to spend the morning after the game restoring the TD Place to its proper state.
Although work is being done by the school to bring awareness and try to promote responsibility, Ottawa Police and By-law officers aren’t taking any chances.
Ottawa By-law tweeted on Sept. 28 a list of things to consider that could be a violation of the current noise by-laws, specifically tagging the University of Ottawa and Carleton’s Twitter accounts and using the #PandaGame.
They also issued another tweet stating they’ll be working closely throughout the day with Ottawa Police, with both forces deploying more officers to have a larger presence in Sandy Hill and the Glebe this year, according to these tweets.
Although Carleton has taken more strides than usual this year to ensure that Panda is a safe and fun environment, there are still people who do not want to partake in this year’s festivities.
Not everyone is influenced by the hype of the nostalgic game. Plenty of people opt-out of attending because it isn’t their thing, crowds are too rowdy, or they just simply don’t care for the substance consumption surrounding the event.
Either way, students will be on their way to the TD Place in under 24 hours to see the game many Ottawa students look forward to every year. Those who don’t have tickets yet are avidly searching and buying, often paying more than the $25 the tickets sold for.
You can expect that the Carleton side will be full of anticipation and cheering tomorrow, waiting to see if their team can ‘free Pedro” from the Gee-Gees this year, and reclaim victory once again.