Texas Tech students Ian Waters and Carson Marshall arrived at Jones AT&T Stadium Sunday and Monday, respectively, prepared to sit in their tents until Saturday when No. 8 Texas Tech and No. 7 BYU faced off.
The two haven’t been able to sit down since.
Waters and Marshall were named the unofficial “Mayors of Raiderville” late Monday and have been responsible for communicating rules and policies to the over 1,500 students camping outside of the stadium.
“We had no idea it would evolve into what it has,” Marshall said. “Obviously, it’s been a lot of responsibility, but it’s been pretty great.”
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All it took was initiative when athletic director Kirby Hocutt and associate athletics director Robert Giovannetti asked for volunteers to help manage the crowd.
They both spoke up and, from there, became the direct points of contact for Texas Tech Athletics. Hocutt, Giovannetti and deputy athletics director Jonathan Botros meet regularly with the pair to coordinate donors providing food and local DJs performing.
“TTU has more direct communication with them, but we’re more like when they get on site, communication like we help out here,” Waters said. “I know we’ve had Chimy’s, Chick-fil-A, HEB, Red Raider Outfitters and Triple J’s. We had the Lubbock Clinic here as well.”
Marshall said by 5 p.m. Monday, students began to flock in with tents, ultimately leading Texas Tech Athletics representatives to ask Waters and Marshall to come up with a method for groups to check in. They decided on using GroupMe.
One representative will check in with Waters or Marshall and they will be added to the GroupMe chat, where they can put down 15 names who will be able to get an early-access wristband. Only one representative from the group needs to be at the tent during camping hours for the spot to be held.
Texas Tech Athletics will distribute 1,500 early access wristbands, Marshall said, but it will be at a random time for fairness. If a member of a group is not present at the time, they will not be able to hold a wristband for them.
“We’re just the messengers, right?” Marshall joked as he put his hands up in innocence.
Neither of the two students has been home since setting up camp, Marshall said. If they aren’t in classes, Marshall and Waters are patrolling the hundreds of tents set up to make sure rules and policies are being followed, as well as answering any questions students may have.
The sudden responsibility has been hectic, they said, but not one they would consider giving up.
“I don’t think there’s been a better time since Mike Leach’s coaching era to be a Red Raider,” Waters said.
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