Upon receiving their season ticket information in the mail this August, Cyclone basketball and football fans probably noticed a letter explaining the change in ticket purchase policy.

This change was intended to improve the way students receive tickets and to give them the tickets they want. The letter enclosed with the ticket applications explained in part the ticket policy for men’s basketball games.

The athletic ticket office rewards those students who purchase dual-sport ticket packages. Buying one of these packages, which consists of season tickets for both Cyclone football and men’s basketball, will increase a student’s chance of receiving basketball seating in lower levels.

All balcony seating for men’s basketball games will be general admission. This will allow people to sit wherever they want in the upper level and with the people of their choice.

There will be a lottery for lower-level basketball tickets that have not been purchased or picked up between Oct.19 and 23. The ticket office will begin distributing lottery numbers on Nov. 10 at 8 a.m. and will begin the lottery at 9 a.m. Students do not need to buy dual-sport tickets to be eligible for the lottery.

According to the letter, these changes came as a result of the ticket office meeting with the Government of the Student Body to discuss how best to serve the students’ ticket needs.

This meeting, which occurred in the spring semester, was between members of the ticket office staff and the student fees committee.

Jeremy Williams, GSB finance director, was at the meeting.

“Our main concern was that if you’re sitting in the balcony, it should be general admission,” Williams said. “Any other decisions were their idea at the ticket office.”

Williams said the ticket office was disappointed with basketball attendance last year.

“They complained about attendance at basketball games, but we pointed out that at football games you could sit with different people every game,” Williams said. “We felt that was part of the reason attendance was sometimes low at basketball games.”

Williams said he felt students would be pleased with the upper-level seating. But, Williams said, students may be frustrated that declining to buy a dual-sport ticket package decreases their chances of getting lower-level basketball seats.

Dave Crum, ticket manager for the athletic department, said he felt the changes were not drastic.

“It’s basically the same except for the general admission, upper-level tickets,” Crum said. “For three games, you will rotate down to the lower-level just like in the past. You do have a much better chance of lower level seating if you buy dual-sport tickets, so I would encourage all students to do so.

“But it’s not like we’re forcing students to buy football tickets; it’s just that we thought it would be nice to reward those that do,” he said.

Crum explained that one of the main reasons for the policy change was due to problems his staff encountered while issuing tickets.

“We went to general admission in the balcony because ticketing became a logistical nightmare,” he said. “We had people in seven different groups wanting to sit by their friends, and sorting it all was terrible.”

Crum also said this was not the only route discussed. “First-come, first-serve” seating on a game-by-game basis was considered, as was a lottery for a static season ticket position.

Even overall general admission tickets much like the football ticketing system were considered, he said. None of these scenarios were viewed as workable, however.

Crum was quick to point out that if students do not buy football tickets, that does not mean they will not be eligible for lower-level basketball tickets.

“People who only want basketball [tickets] can still show up at the lottery on Nov. 10,” Crum said. “If they have a class, it doesn’t matter as long as their fee card and ID are there.

“Each set of fee card and ID will be allowed to purchase 10 tickets,” Crum said. “The pool of available lower-level seats will consist of 300 seats, which we are holding back just for non-dual-sport-buying fans, and whatever was not picked up during the pick-up week.”

Last year, the number of lower-level tickets not picked up was approximately 100.

Crum said that 500 dual-sport packages still remain, and students may purchase them at the ticket office in the Jacobsen Building or call 294-1816 for information.