Spectators at Hawkeye football games look forward to the physical action at Kinnick Stadium, just as long as it is on the field and not in the stands.

With the introduction of FanAssist, a new text-for-help program, fans at Kinnick will have only have to send a text message to report problems with fellow fans or any other issues that may arise.

During the first Hawkeye football game of the season, against Northern Iowa on Sept. 5, FanAssist was used on four different occasions. The reported incidents involved unruly fans and the UI police were dispatched for two of the texts.

Typically, UI police officers arrive at the scene, listen to the parties involved, and address any problems, said Dave Visin, an associate director of the force.

No action was taken against any rowdy fans, because an officer’s presence is usually enough to settle the problem, he said.

FanAssist was advertised during the game, but some students said they were still unaware of the program’s existence.

As more people become aware of FanAssist, the program may be put to use more often said Rick Klatt, an assistant athletics director.

“It is a great service for fans that want to communicate,” he said.

Fans seemed to have mixed feelings about the texting application.

“I think it is good to ensure fans’ safety,” said UI junior Hadley Rapp.

Others were a little more skeptical.

“I haven’t had too many problems with fans,” said UI sophomore John Shepard. “I don’t think I’d need to use it.”

Neither Rapp nor Shepard had heard of the new program.

One concern for users of the text program is the often limited cell-phone service at Kinnick on game days.

“We currently have boosters for cell phones,” said Paula Jantz, an associate athletics director. “We also still encourage fans to utilize security or the hotline if service is poor.”

Hawkeye Sports purchased the required software systems for the package from FanDriveMedia with a one time payment of $4,000 prior to this year’s football season, Jantz said.

This is the first year FanDriveMedia is available to colleges. Many universities nationwide have begun using the program, including Iowa State University.

Jonathan Vick, a spokesman for FanDriveMedia, which provides the service, gave a breakdown of how the alert system works.

If a concern arises, fans can send the text “ALERT” with the issue and location to 97178.

Once sent, the text is received at a security control center monitored by an individual dedicated to receiving the messages. Once received, a confirmation text is automatically returned to the fan. The control center then determines who should respond to the issue.

Another service provided with the package is txt2screen, which offers fans the option to send a text message that will be shown in-venue on the video scoreboard, or displayed on the TV or radio broadcast.

A similar application, pix2screen, allows fans to send a picture message that can be selected to be viewed on the video scoreboard.

All services provided with the UI’s new package are only active on game day.