SU student section to change for home games

The final installment of the 2008-09 Chancellor’s Lecture Series took place last Wednesday So why would the students give up something they have enjoyed for so long?
In this case, they had no choice.
As the Sept. 12 home opener against Central State draws near, a few students may be upset with the new seating changes at A.W. Mumford Stadium.
Students have enjoyed prime seating on and around the 50-yard line for years. Seating even season ticket holders couldn’t plant their bottoms on—the same seats students routinely bolt for the exit after the band performs at halftime.
At other schools across the country (example Texas), seats from the home team’s 50-yard line stretching to the 35 are reserved for season ticket holders. In high school stadiums, this arrangement is common on both sides.
By contrast, LSU has had a similar seating arrangement for years as students have enjoyed games at Tiger Stadium from the end zone.
Why the move?
“People prefer buying premium seats,” SU athletic director Greg LaFleur said.
Though Southern’s students won’t be moving to the end zone — a move that would place them in the stands of the newly constructed field house — there will be a slight change. As LaFleur put it, the band will move from section nine to section 10. The new student section will stretch from section 10 to 14.
Quick visual: Imagine where the press box ends on the Harding Boulevard end of Mumford. The seats on the home side between the scoreboard and the press box will basically become the student section.
Ticket prices for section 15 and 16 on the east side have been reduced to $20, equaling $100 for a season book. As of last Wednesday, only two tickets had been sold in those sections.
However, the ticket office has sold nearly 300 season books in section nine, the very section the band was once located.
“Some people want to be on that 50-yard line,” LaFleur said. “That’s what the numbers indicate.”