UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — On Tuesday, Sept. 15, the Big Ten Conference announced its decision to resume a fall football season.

The Nittany Lions will follow an eight-game regular season schedule starting on Oct. 24 against Indiana. But this season, for the first time ever, no fans will be allowed in Beaver Stadium.

Penn State freshman Alexandra Strunk is a fifth-generation Penn Stater and has been attending football games since she was a little girl.

“I think it is definitely exciting to have football happen, especially since Penn State is such a big football school,” Strunk said. “It makes sense why they don’t have fans in the stadium, and most likely people are still going to tailgate outside, so it will still be a fun atmosphere, but it is definitely going to be different.”

While many students are looking forward to the prospect of having a football season, others have concerns on the potential dangers of the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Idunno Olawale is a sophomore and has a unique role at University Park.

“I’m a university health ambassador, so I walk around campus educating students on COVID and how to prevent it, passing out things like hand sanitizer and masks to help them keep the safety measures up on campus,” Olawale said.

Olawale worries about the impact party culture will have with the increase of cases on the University Park campus.

“As of right now, the cases are rising, so with tailgates and parties that come with football, there will be a huge risk, more of a risk than it already has been,” Olawale said.

While fans will be encouraged to cheer on the Nittany Lions from afar, tailgating, a staple in Happy Valley, will be prohibited on university property.

To find out more information on COVID-19 guidelines regarding the 2020-2021 football season, visit: https://gopsusports.com/sports/football.

Anjelica Rubin is a freshman majoring in journalism. To contact her, email anjelicarubin@gmail.com.