Ticket package shrinks

A season after the men's basketball team was the most watched team in the country, the students at IU will not get the opportunity to watch the team as much as they once planned.\nThe 10 game student season ticket package, which cost $115, will be narrowed down to six or seven games per student because of an increase in season ticket orders. \nSince students have already paid for their 10 games, the IU Ticket Office will refund them for the games cut from their ticket package. According to a student worker in the ticket office, students will be receiving a check in the mail for the difference.\nIU has allotted 7,500 seats as the student section in Assembly Hall, the most of any school in the Big Ten. But, the overflow occurs in the 12,000 season-ticket orders the Ticket Office received and processed. Since there are 4,500 more students than seats, the Athletic Department decided to reduce the number of games the students can attend, and on a rotational basis, allow all 12,000 students an opportunity to experience an IU basketball game. \n"We have more student seating than any school in the Big Ten, so we're able to accommodate more students than anyone else," Assistant Athletic Director Jeff Fanter said. \nThe increase in demand can be drawn from the success of last year's squad. Their run to the NCAA championship game combined with the biggest freshman class of over 7,000, equaled the largest amount of season ticket orders since the late 1980s and early 1990s. Fanter said during those times students were only given four tickets a season. \nA point of controversy is whether or not ticket orders were accepted after the deadline. The Athletic Department would not confirm whether or not late orders were taken. \nFreshman Josh Pruett said taking away games from the students isn't fair.\n"To cut it down to six or seven games, that's not right," Pruett said. "They should have taken out the last few that turned them in. First come, first serve is the way it should have been." \nFanter said his department is handling the influx as a positive and added that it was not unexpected.\n"We are proud that we can accomodate 12,000 people," Fanter said. "This gives everyone who wanted to a chance to experience Indiana basketball."\nBut for some students, a price cannot be put on the opportunity to see the 2002-2003 Hoosiers \nin action.\n"I'd rather pay more money to see all ten games than be refunded for those games I don't get to see," sophomore Jamie Greenbaum said.\nSome IU students said they understand what the school is doing, but they also want to see the national runner-up as much as they can. \n"I guess I would say it's annoying because we were expecting to get 10, and we are only getting six or seven. And a big part of going to IU is our basketball team," sophomore Heather Olsen said. \nThe team that beat the Hoosiers for the national championship, the Maryland Terrapins are also expecting an increase in student interest. In their new arena, the Comcast Center, the student section is only allotted 4,000 seats, which are dispersed behind the west basket and the sections surrounding the court. Tickets for students, however, are free and distributed on a first come, first serve system. \nAccording to the University of Maryland athletics Web site, their system provides a safe and convenient way to distribute student tickets.\nBut some students are not displeased with the decisions resulting from the 12,000 season ticket orders.\n"I'm disappointed that I won't get to see all the games but at the same time, coming off of a runner-up season, I think it makes sense to do the tickets the way they are," senior Ryan Room said. "If I could get to see half the games, that's ok with me"