IU opens first-come, first-serve student section

In response to years of questioning about an official student section in Assembly Hall, IU Athletics is finally implementing a first-come, first-serve seating area — with some minor details.

Student tickets will follow the same rotation system that is currently used, but when students receive tickets in sections K, L or M and within the first 25 rows, the earliest arriving ticket-holders will get the seat of their choice.

“Ever since I’ve been AD, everywhere I go on campus, invariably a student asks me when are we going to get a student section for basketball,” IU Athletics Director Fred Glass said. “My sort of lame response is, ‘Well, we do have a student section, it’s the biggest in the country.’”

Now, Glass can point to a specific, slightly more complicated example of what students have been asking for.

“Three or four times a year, that’s your time to come early, wear your ketchup outfit or your Gumby and Pokey. Paint yourself crazy,” Glass said. “I hope you do that even when you’re not in the special student section.”

Glass added that if the section is wildly popular, he is open to expansion. However, an entirely first-come, first-serve student section is still unlikely.

“I’m a little afraid that if it was a pure first-come, first-serve, students might be more inclined to cherry-pick the games they want to go to, knowing that they can wait in line to get a good seat,” Glass said. “We might then see a significant drop off in our overall sales.”

Students who buy season tickets before Oct. 15 are guaranteed at least half their tickets will be below the balcony level. Tickets can be bought from 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday at the IU ticket office in Assembly Hall or at the JMV show at Cook Hall.

- Ryan Winn