Though Penn State fans booed the Boilermakers at the beginning of Saturday's football game, the overall sportsmanship of the Beaver Stadium fans improved over fan behavior at the Ohio State game Oct. 8, said Ryan Bennington, Off-Campus Student Union president and Undergraduate Student Government multicultural affairs director.

"At the football game, someone near me was booing, and another person turned around and said 'We don't do that at Penn State,' " Bennington (senior-international politics and African and African-American studies) said.

Ted Delaney, Penn State University Police assistant director, said the crowd in and outside the stadium seemed better behaved. "Things were significantly quieter this weekend," he said. "There were fewer arrests this weekend and fewer incidents with rowdy fans."

Athletic Director Tim Curley said the difference in sportsmanship was due to the atmosphere. "Ohio State was a night game, and for whatever reason, the atmosphere tends to be much different at night games," he said. "The crowd gets more energetic and cheering."

Last week, student group leaders distributed 150 white T-shirts with a line from the alma mater, "May no act of ours bring shame," written on the back. The shirts were distributed to student groups as part of the "whiteout" campaign to promote good sportsmanship.

Students can also purchase the T-shirts at the Penn State Student Bookstore in the HUB-Robeson Center.

The whiteout campaign was effective in raising awareness about poor sportsmanship, harmful behavior and public intoxication in Beaver Stadium, Bennington said. "The campaign brought the issue to light, and the T-shirts were excellent for raising awareness at the game," he said. "We want Penn State to be known as a place with class."

The booing remained at a minimal level, except when the officials started making poor calls, said Honey Jaffe of Philadelphia. "The coaches and players seemed on the same boat as us, so the reaction seemed warranted," Jaffe said. "I wouldn't want Penn State's sportsmanship to change a whole lot. It's part of our spirit and who we are as a team."

Graduate Patti Soper, of Stowe, Vt., said she didn't notice fans being rude to one another. "A group of Purdue fans sat behind us in the stands, and there was no sense of bad sportsmanship or people being rude to each other," she said.

Linda Petitta, of Natrona Heights, said she didn't notice any rude behavior while she tailgated before the game.

"Everyone seemed happy before and after the game," Petitta said. "I spoke with some Purdue fans who attended the game, and they weren't upset by our booing the other team. I think that's pretty much standard practice at college football games."

Some students said they still heard booing and name-calling in the student section. "Everyone seemed tired, and people didn't seem to be into cheering and things as much," Allyson Rosen (junior-communications sciences and disorders) said. "Things didn't seem that different. When the Boilermakers entered the stadium, people still booed."