Column: General admission section just needs patience

When there’s a large chunk of empty seats — especially those seats belonging to students — it’s easy to start asking questions.

Mainly, where is everyone?

My response: let’s be patient.

There’s a new general admission section for students this year, and when students have a ticket in the first 25 rows of sections K, L or M, it’s a first-come, first-serve seating arrangement.

Through five games — two exhibition and three regular season contests — that section has looked well, empty.

The back eight rows of the section (40 percent of the area) didn’t have more than five students per row on Tuesday when IU played Mississippi Valley State. Not a single student sat in the back four rows. In Sunday’s game against Wright State, the turnout was even less.

Needless to say, that’s a lot of empty seats — and it does look awkward to have a chunk of seats with no one in them.

I’ve heard from several different parties — alumni that say they are “shocked” by the lack of student attendance. Students relegated to the balcony are wondering why they can’t meander their way to the lower level.

In reality, it’s hard to blame anyone for not having more butts in seats. No offense to Mississippi Valley State, but an opponent of that level isn’t the biggest fan draw.

Neither is a Sunday evening game on the same weekend as the IU Dance Marathon and I-Core testing.

With a slate of November games in which IU should win all of them, the less-than-hardcore IU fan might choose to stay home.

Taylor Maimbourg, an IU senior and three-year season-ticket holder, was sitting in the balcony for Tuesday’s game. He said the lack of attendance is slightly
deceptive.

“We’re early in the season. We have tests now since it’s right before break, so it’s hard for students to show up,” Maimbourg said. “I think the alumni are saying the students aren’t showing up, but if you push the alumni down to the front rows like general admission, it would look pretty similar.”

And I agree. While attendance was stronger Tuesday than it has been in previous games, there are empty seats throughout Assembly Hall, not just in the student
section.

With this new system, all the students are packed in like sardines. Spread them out throughout the allotment of seats, and voila! It looks somewhat full again.

Further, the number of students with balcony seats isn’t any less than last year. Just because there’s a new enticing section below doesn’t mean anything has changed about how many times students must sit in the balcony.

And patience is a necessity. Come Big Ten season, it’s hard to believe that the lower level won’t be full.

I talked to several students who sat in the balcony on Tuesday. Many asked for widespread use of the general admission rule similar to the football setup.

The issue with that is students will stand in line hours before the game in lieu of classes and homework. In the long term, sure, it might be nice to have organized rules for general admission (like Purdue’s Paint Crew) that allow for a student to stand in for an entire group while the others go to class.

And without a long-term change such as that, it’s hard to make temporary adjustments as well. If you allow students from the balcony into the lower-level seats, that will probably be a pointless rule in the Big Ten season with a full general admission section.

When these changes were introduced for the season, they came with much approval from students.

“I thought it was a good idea because it was a way for students who really want to come for them to get them on the first come, first serve basis,” junior season ticket holder Colton Murray said Tuesday. “I thought it sounded like a great idea. Something different to bring in.”

Give the section some time — allow it to flourish in Big Ten play — and such positive reviews might come right back.