Deadline today for student tickets

According to the IU Ticket Office, today is the last day students can purchase guaranteed seats for the 2003-2004 men's basketball season. And many students are wondering how many games will be included in this year's package. \nAfter the IU men's basketball team made its unexpected run to the Final Four in 2002, more students than in the past rushed out to buy tickets for last year's season. Because of the number of tickets sold, IU was forced to pull some games from the student season ticket packages and divide them up between everyone who paid.\nWhile some students were upset by the change, what they didn't know was that the policy has been around for 25 years.\n"When I was a student, I only got four tickets," Assistant Athletic Director Jeff Fanter said. "It's a policy we've always had. It's just that it hadn't happened in the four years before this last time. No one has experienced this that's here now."\nIU gives its students 7,800 seats per home game. That's more seats than any other school in the Big Ten offers. When more than 7,800 students apply and pay for tickets, action has to be taken in the form of taking games away from the ticket packages. \nThe alternative is that only the first 7,800 students to apply will get the season ticket packages.\nIU Athletic Ticket Office Manager Mike Roberts said the overall system started in the 1974-75 season when it was determined that there was a huge basketball tradition in the making.\n"It was felt by the University leaders and student groups that every student should have the opportunity to see a game," Roberts said.\nSenior Jimmy Meyer said he isn't buying tickets this year because the packages cost $139. He said he felt he couldn't afford it especially since it doesn't even guarantee every game any more. \n"I felt like we got ripped off last year," Meyer said. \nGraduate student Todd Efthimiou and his friends are getting tickets this year but are wondering exactly how many games they are going to get. Efthimiou said while they are supposed to get 12 home games, they'll be upset if their ticket packages cut games like Illinois and Senior Night against Wisconsin.\n"I wouldn't mind if they took a few away from the non-conference games," Efthimiou said. \nThe process of ordering tickets and assigning seat location will remain the same. The online ticket form warns student buyers that an excessive amount of orders would cause some games to be cut from their packages, but adds a refund would be issued.\nAs far as cutting games this year, Roberts said it's too early to tell.\n"We're in the middle of processing the orders," Roberts said. "The bulk of the orders usually come in the last day so as far as whether or not we'll have to cut games out of the packages, we don't know yet"