by Katy Knapp
Daily Lobo
A student section in The Pit will put students next to the opposing team and closer to the floor.
The student section will move from the west side of the arena to behind the basket on the north side. The new section has approximately 662 seats.
A juggling act
Rudy Davalos, UNM athletic director, announced the change during a press conference Tuesday.
Davalos said the department had been looking at creating a student section for more than a year and how to do it effectively. He said he wanted to make sure students have a presence on the floor without disturbing other ticket holders.
"It's a juggling act," Davalos said. "It was a tough decision to make, but something we needed to do."
ASUNM projected a $200 increase in student fees for a section at The Pit that would put students on the floor at games. The Student Fee Review Board found a way to increase fees by only $10, totaling about $200,000 for the Athletic Department.
ASUNM President Kevin Stevenson said the money is strictly for the student section.
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"No one's getting a raise," he said. "It all comes back to the University."
The student section will move from sections 19, 20 and 21 to section 26.
There were 183 season ticket holders in section 26 in the 2004-2005 men's basketball season. They will be notified of the change by mail, Davalos said.
Greg Remington, spokesman for the Athletic Department, said the department doesn't foresee any economic backlash because of the shuffling of seats. He said he doesn't think season ticket holders will be upset about moving.
"Considering they are moving from behind the basket to mid-court, we certainly don't anticipate a drop-off," Remington said.
Behind the basket
Davalos said it is important for students to have fun at games and support the team without inconveniencing others around them.
"The reason we went behind the basket was so it would be less intrusive to the people around them," Davalos said.
Student Jordy Hicks said he doesn't go to basketball games, but might start going with the new student section.
"If I had a chance to be close to all the action, I'd probably go," he said.
Matt Ladd, president of Lobo Howlers, said he was extremely happy with the student section.
"Obviously in a dream world, we would be center court, right on the floor," he said. "But Rudy Davalos is a businessman and wanted to make money, which is understandable. The second-best place is behind the basket next to the opposing team's bench, and that's what we got."
Men's basketball coach Ritchie McKay said the student section is positive for the athletics program.
"It will just enhance the home-court advantage, and we already have that," he said.
The bottom row of section 26 is a "buffer row," Davalos said. He said it will be reserved for people who have sat there before and for security.
"We were going to do that no matter what we did," he said.
Davalos said Sound Pack, a small band that plays at basketball games, will also be in the student section.
Davalos said there were problems with students standing up in the section and blocking the views of people behind them. He said he anticipates some people will still complain, but the Athletic Department will be ready to help them.
Remington said about 1,200 seats will now be opened in sections 19 and 21.
Davalos said the original plan for the student section included acquiring section 26 this year, section 27 next year and eventually gaining rows 15 and 14 on the south side of the building. He said others weren't too happy about that plan.
"That would have been real tough, keeping up with people's tickets," he said. "They talked me out of that."
Creating a legacy
Davalos said he did not feel pressured by the ASUNM president or the Board of Regents into creating the student section.
"They just told me, 'Take a look at it, see what you can do,'" he said, adding the work of Stevenson and the Regents played a role in the student section.
"(Stevenson) had a good case, and we needed to do something," he said.
Stevenson said he saw his position as ASUNM president as a way to get a student section, and it was always something he wanted to do.
"I just called up Rudy and told him, 'Let's talk about getting on the floor,'" he said. "He was real receptive about everything. It took a while to hammer out the details and figure out where the best place to be was, but I think it's a real win-win situation for everybody."
Davalos said the seats in section 20 are prime.
"We figured if we were going to move people, we'll move them to the best seats in the house," he said.
Stevenson said a lot of people have asked him if he considers his role in getting a student section his legacy at UNM. He said he just sees it as a responsibility of his job. He might be moving to Washington, D.C., but wouldn't mind a chance of sitting in the student section next season, he said.
"If I'm still here, I might try to sneak in," Stevenson said with a smile.
