Police plan for big IU homecoming weekend in Bloomington

Indiana University expects thousands of visitors in Bloomington this weekend for homecoming, and the university's police force is working with the Bloomington Police Department and the Indiana State Police to cover the events. The schedule includes ESPN's "College GameDay" broadcast, the parade and the game.

Benjamin Hunter, IU's associate vice president and superintendent for public safety, said his department is setting up for the weekend. "We have our game day operations center; we have our emergency operations center," Hunter said. Officers in plain clothes and in uniform will work the crowds, and drones will fly over traffic and the gatherings.

"We're here to assist people throughout the weekend," Hunter said. "And we just want people to visit Bloomington and have a great time." He asked fans to come early. "I want you to arrive early and bring your patience. And just get in line. Make sure you have your tailgating spot or your favorite parking spot, and just get here so you can enjoy the festivities."

The Hoosiers play Minnesota at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium, and the game is sold out. ESPN's "College GameDay" coverage starts at 9 a.m. at Showalter Fountain.

Students on campus Friday said they are ready for the weekend. Jiya Surwanshi said, "We're really excited! I feel like it's been a big weekend. We've all been looking forward to it all semester." Her friend and fellow student Aashni Deglurkar said police handle crowds well. "They do a pretty good job of organizing people," Deglurkar said. "It does get a bit traffic. It's not like scary or anything though. The cops are always really helpful directing it."

Surwanshi said travel time across campus can run long but she is not worried about safety. "I feel like the time to get to places is a lot, but other than that, I'm not too concerned about the safety aspect," she said. "I feel like we've always been super safe, even when it's a big game." Anyone can get IU emergency alerts by texting "SafeIU" to 77295 through Sunday.