Students move into new section

IU students have been waiting for a meaningful touchdown for a long time. If it comes this season, they'll be closer than ever before.\nWell, or further. \nStudent seating is moving to the extreme north of the main grandstand. In the past, students filled in around the Marching Hundred, who sat around the north 35-yard line. While the Hundred is marching to the bleachers behind the North endzone, students are sliding two sections down.\nAssistant Athletic Director Jeff Fanter said the change will give students a consistent home. In the past, students have been moved around.\n"We're hoping to create a dynamic atmosphere," Fanter said.\nSenior Brett Gildea said he thinks the new plan might be a dynamic dud. A staunch supporter of Hoosier football, Gildea has not missed a game in his three years as a student.\n"The students deserve the best seats because this is our team," Gildea said. "I think that this idea could be a debacle due to students not wanting to sit in the end zone."\nJunior Teddy Fishbein, who plays trumpet in the Hundred, isn't happy his horn will be blowing in a new location, either.\n"It makes it a lot harder to see the action from where I\'ll be sitting now," Fishbein said.\nFanter said that it is common for teams throughout the Big Ten to have student sections in the end zone. He said the athletic department hopes that the new, consistent student section will be a key ingredient to brewing a winning atmosphere.\nWhile student fans may grumble, players don't think that the change will make a huge difference.\n"It's always great to have support, but when the lights come on you don't notice where the fans are at," said senior safety Joe Gonzalez. "You just notice them on certain situations, like big third downs on defense."\nThe move might also serve as a gauge for the athletics department master plan for IU\'s facilities. In addition to adding a student-athlete center located near Assembly Hall and Memorial Stadium, there is a plan in the works for building an end zone seating section, giving Memorial Stadium a horseshoe shape.\nWith the premium seating being opened up to the general public, the athletics department will also hope to gain some more revenue. Tickets in the former student section will be sold for $32 per game.\nFanter can understand why some students may be perturbed by the plan, though. \n"Anytime that there\'s a change, regardless of what it is, there are going to people who aren\'t very happy with them," Fanter said.\nBut while the seats may have moved, there may be more to offer for the students in the new setup, which includes pre-game festivities such as a band, food and drinks.\n"The hope is that this movement is creating this energy and a better environment for the fans," Fanter said.\nAnd while inflation has hit everything in the country from pay phone calls to the price of glue sticks, IU has done an about-face by lowering the costs of season tickets to $45 and making Saturday's game against William & Mary free of charge to students with an ID.\n"It's fair to say that we\'re one of the cheapest tickets in the conference," Fanter said.