Student on the Street: Student Section

ABBY SCHWARTZ, First-year human and developmental familiy sciences student“It kind of makes sense to me, but I don’t really understand what the restriction is. It’s a really big gymnasium, I feel like anybody should be able to sit wherever they want. I really don’t think it makes that big of a difference.”

Oregon State Athletics has historically had a difference in student-seating for Men’s and Women’s Basketball home games. The department experimented with a student section for the Women’s home Civil War game. 

There is a designated students-only section for all home Men’s Basketball games. During Women’s Basketball games, the same section is designated as general admission for the public, though students can sit there too. 

According to Zack Lassiter, deputy athletics director for external operations at Oregon State University, OSU Athletics looks at each sport individually before making a decision about seating arrangements for games.

“We look at each of our sports independently to better create a customized experience for the fans and student-athletes in attendance,” Lassiter said via email. “We have a great team that works together to create the best fan experience in the Pac-12.”

Lassiter said the student section allows for community for students attending home games. 

“Many students enjoy sitting next to their classmates during games as they feed off each other’s energy and enjoy the community feeling of being in the Beaver Dam,” Lassiter said via email. “We are always looking for passionate students that want to help create a great atmosphere for students at all our athletic events.” 

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