Students debate new line policy

Mention "Duke basketball" to a Duke student and chances are the words will trigger the image of a Cameron Crazie, face and chest painted blue, eyes drooping from hours in line, bouncing up-and-down in the packed student section.

But attendance at games, which has declined consistently over the past five years and reached to a low last season, could call that image into question. In a meeting Sept. 26, Duke Student Government debated a policy presented by Head Line Monitor Roberto Bazzani, a senior, and junior Sunny Kantha, vice president for athletics and campus services. The proposed policy attempts to combat the slumping attendance rates.

The athletics department said a change in policy is necessary if all 1,200 undergraduate student seats in Cameron Indoor Stadium are to remain reserved for undergraduates, said Duke Student Government President Paul Slattery, a senior. But undercurrents of student dissent have arisen since the policy was first reported in The Chronicle one week ago.

"I feel like this whole policy of doing everything online takes away from the Duke tradition," sophomore Matt Pilnik said.

As of Monday night, 36 Duke students had joined a Facebook group created by junior Barry Wright in opposition to the proposed policy change. Wright said he fears students will be discouraged from waiting in the walk-up line if all 1,200 seats are reserved prior to the game, which would be unfortunate since the likelihood that all students who reserve seats will validate their tickets is low.

If implemented, the policy would allow undergraduates to register for men's basketball games up to three days in advance online. Students whose seats are not claimed one hour before tip-off would then be made available to those non-validated students waiting in the walk-up line.

Wright said he proposed several modifications to the validation process in a meeting with Kantha, including a running line count online and an "unvalidation" button that would allow students to cancel their reservation for the game. The running line count has been incorporated into the policy, and Wright said he suspects the button will be adopted as well.

Wright said more students who have seriously considered the policy oppose it, but added that only a small number of students have a well-researched opinion at this point.

Jillian Liner, a sophomore, said she did not attend any basketball games last year, but would be more likely to attend a game with the option of registering online.

"It will be easier for me this year," Liner said.

Bazzani said the policy will be explained to freshmen next week, and information sessions for upperclassmen will also be held. When more students understand the policy, Bazzani said he thinks there will be less opposition.

"It sounds like it's a totally bad thing, but I don't think I know enough about [the policy] to know that for sure," said senior Jessie Burchell.

No Facebook groups have formed in support of the policy, and the only two students who discussed the proposition at the last DSG meeting were in opposition to it. But Kantha noted that dissenters are typically more vocal than supporters, and said he has received several e-mails from students who said the policy would make it easier for them to work games into their busy schedules.

Freshman Annie Kozak acknowledged the policy would benefit her academically, but said waiting in line is an aspect of Duke life she had looked forward to.

"I think there's a degree of camaraderie that happens when you wait in line, and I think it makes the games more fun," she said.