Auburn has announced new processes and policies for students attending men’s basketball games, according to a release from the university Sunday evening.

It comes just over a week after multiple students suffered injuries in a stampede toward the arena gates prior to College GameDay on Jan. 25. Students were allowed to begin lining up at 6:30 a.m. for 7 a.m. entry, but many students rush toward the gate when the line opened, causing the pile up.

In a statement sent to AL.com on Jan. 25, the university stated it was “reviewing feedback and video footage from the line to develop plans for future games to ensure student safety.“

In the FAQs section of the new policies and processes, the release says the new processes were put in place with the intent to “provide a safe, well-organized, and controlled queueing experience for students by establishing effective security measures, controlled ingress/egress, medical support, weather monitoring, and emergency response coordination while preserving the spirit of the event.

“The spirit of successful Auburn men’s basketball events for students prior to the 2025 Tennessee game has been for students to queue organically at their own pace,” the release says.

The release also included what the response will be if there is another barricade breach.

“Auburn University, in partnership with local law enforcement, emergency services, and campus entities, will execute security, crowd management, and emergency response operations for The Jungle Queueing Process to ensure the safety of students, maintain order, enforce risk mitigation policies, and coordinate emergency preparedness before, during, and after the event,” the release says.

The new polices and processes will rule each Auburn home game as either a queuing game or a camping game. Every Sunday, Auburn will announce which process the game(s) for that week will follow.

For the upcoming week of Feb. 1-8, Auburn’s game against Oklahoma on Tuesday is a queuing game and Auburn’s Saturday afternoon matchup with Florida is a camping game.

The release says game designations will be made based on:

• Date and time of athletic event (weekday vs. weekend) 
• Scheduling: Competing athletic and university events 
• Weather and other related factors 
• Risk profile of game (high profile match-up or non-marquee event) 
• University operating status 
• Other factors 

Here’s a rundown of both processes:

Queuing games

For queuing games, students will be able to begin lining up at any time. There will be no designated start time for students to begin queuing.

Students will be directed into four different quads, depending on how early they arrive. The first students to arrive will be in Quad 1, once that quad reaches capacity, students will go to Quad 2, then Quad 3, then Quad 4.

The quads will determine where students will sit once they arrive inside Neville Arena.

• Quad 1- Lower-level access
• Quad 2- Lower-level access
• Quad 3- Lower-level access and standing room only
• Quad 4- Standing room only

As early as three hours prior to tipoff, students queued in Quads 1-3 will begin receiving wristbands to secure their designated arena access.

Once the arena doors open, the quads will be released into the arena in succession. After every student in Quads 1-3 with a wristband has entered, the student section’s capacity will be evaluated and a determined number of non-wristbanded students will be able to fill the remaining seats.

Remaining students in line will be directed toward the standing room only areas of the arena until total capacity is reached.

Camping games

Similar to the quad system in queuing games, there will be four designated camping areas (quads) in front of the Neville Arena student entrance and along Thach Concourse. The number of students permitted to fill the quad will be the same as the queueing process.

Also similar to queuing games, there is no designated start time for students to begin camping. Once arriving, students will be directed toward one of the four quads based on how early they arrive. The access areas in the arena for each quad are the same as in the queuing process.

However, the release states that no camping structures will be permitted in Quad 4.

Each student much register their tent with The Jungle Leadership Team stationed the start of the quad. The maximum number of students per tent is four and each student must show their own Mobile Tiger ID and list their student ID number on the form during registration. The names cannot be changed from the names given at registration.

Once registered, each tent will receive a number with its corresponding quad.

At least half of the registration group must be with the tent at all times. Groups will be required to check-in to verify that half the group is present during randomized times throughout the queuing period.

If there is an athletic event going on inside Neville Arena during the queuing period, registration checks will be suspended until 30 minutes following the event, allowing students to attend the event.

All tents and camping supplies must be completely broken down four hours prior to tipoff and students will be asked to begin lining up within each associated quad barrier.

Similar to the process for queuing games, students in Quads 1-3 will receive wristbands as early as three hours prior to tipoff, securing their designated arena access. The process for entering the arena is the same as during queuing games.

For more on the new processes and policies, click here.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at prauterkus@al.com