The on-campus game Humans vs. Zombies has become synonymous with bright-colored Nerf blasters carried by participants. But tomorrow, the students involved in the game will be using clean, rolled-up socks and marshmallows instead of blasters.
At last night’s Undergraduate Student Government general assembly meeting, the issues surrounding BG Undead, the organization that hosts Humans vs. Zombies, was brought to the attention of undergraduate senators.
Junior Steve Currie, a member of BG Undead and active player of the game, brought a petition filled with somewhere between 950 and 1,050 signatures to the meeting in an effort to gain USG support concerning student safety and the issues surrounding the Nerf blasters.
‘BG Undead works very closely with the campus police and the University administration in order to ensure student safety,’ Currie said. ‘However, concerns have been brought to the attention of the group that address whether or not the blasters pose a safety concern.’
According to Currie, administrative members of BG Undead met with University officials twice in the past month concerning the use of the Nerf blasters and their image on campus.
After meeting with administration nearly two weeks ago, members of the group reported that administration had issued a ban on the Nerf blasters for spring semester, Currie said.
But according to Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Jill Carr, at no time has anyone in the Office of Student Affairs banned the use of Nerf blasters.
At the administrative meetings with BG Undead, the president of the organization offered to change to socks and marshmallows after discussing the issue with the administration, Carr said.
USG Adviser and Associate Dean of Students Jeff Coats also noted that after the administration expressed concerns about public safety and the use of the blasters, BG Undead members agreed to use alternative methods in their upcoming game.
‘We’ve bent over backwards in order to make sure that people are safe on this campus,’ Currie said, ‘but this is something the membership cannot accept.’
For Senator Leo Almeida, the idea of taking away something that unites a number of students on campus is an action that will not work to benefit the community in any way.
‘I can understand the administration’s concerns based on Virginia Tech,’ he said. ‘But to be honest, I’d rather have them shooting fake guns rather than real ones.’
But Senator Liesl Dye noted that many of the touring parents and students don’t realize that the blasters are fake.
‘As a tour guide, I have had parent concerns brought to me about the game and the students who play it,’ Dye said. ‘We have to remember that as students we represent the University, and although it doesn’t mean to, this game doesn’t always reflect positively.’
And though Vice President Nick Gamero recognizes that not everyone is going to view Humans vs. Zombies in a favorable light, he was quick to note that the amount of time and energy put into creating and distributing the petition can’t go unnoticed.
‘When people are pushing for change and wanting to do something even as perceptionally small as signing a petition, it reminds me why I’ve dedicated my life to BGSU students this year,’ he said. ‘That type of effort is commendable.’
This meeting was the last one held under the current president and vice president.
