A few weeks ago I sent out a survey to some of my fellow seniors that I connected to through various organizations and friends of friends. An overwhelming number of seniors, about 90% say that they have not accomplished everything they wanted to while they were in Ann Arbor. Of that 90%, more than half of the participants said that breaking into the Big House is at the top of their bucket lists. I’ve heard of it happening, I know people who have done it, and if you scroll down a few posts, you’ll see that it’s on my list too. Being the scaredy-cat that I am, though, I decided to do some research on this phenomenon, which to me almost seems like a milestone at this point. It can’t be legal, since everyone I know has done it late at night and very sneakily.
I contacted Diane Brown, the Public Information Officer for the Department of Public Safety at the University for an interview and learned a lot about breaking into the Big House. “It’s a very iconic location,” said Brown. “It’s obviously one of the most globally recognized landmarks for our university. We also have a very passionate student following for the football team, and I think those might be the contributing factors.” With regard to the legality she said, “It would be considered breaking in because there are no longer public hours for the stadium to be open. Years ago before they did all the construction, some of the gates were open during the day. People would go in to take pictures, and people also used to run up and down the bleachers for exercise. Now, because the Big House is closed to the public, anyone caught gaining entry (climbing over the fence) and then found to be there would be subject to arrest, and could be charged with illegal entry which is a component of the burglary statute. It’s a felony.”
The punishments could vary depending on the person’s record and on the nature of the break-in. If you don’t have a police record and are just hanging out with friends, it will likely be a misdemeanor, but if you have a record and are vandalizing or behaving in another inappropriate or disrespectful way, the punishment could be much more severe.
Do I think that this information will stop people from breaking into the Big House? No. Will it stop me? Probably not. A friend of mine went the other night, actually. He said it was totally exhilarating, albeit a little scary. I still hope to be able to stand on the football field with my friends before I leave here. It’s a classic bucket list goal and before I kick the proverbial Ann Arbor bucket, I’d like to complete my goal.
Ann Arbor Bucket List 
