The 2011 football season kicked off this past Saturday, and along with it began a new era for the (former) #1 student section in the country. Thanks to the advent of $TEP, the entire student section now resides in the South Endzone, a disappointment current juniors and seniors who had looked forward to sitting on the 40 yardline.

However, it seems that more students were upset about the lack of class divisions, another tweak made to the student section this season, than being shifted into the endzone. The entire student section is now general admission for any student, from freshmen to grad students, and evidently this is an issue for some.

But why?

I really don’t see the problem here. Maybe it’s because football games aren’t social events for me, which they are for many, many students at Penn State (and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that). I know many students like to move around and visit friends throughout the game, and GA seating may make that more difficult.

However, general admission seating ensures that the students who care about getting into the stadium early will get a better selection of seats, and that’s how it should be. As I mentioned in my observations from Saturday’s game, why should an upperclassman who comes into the game just after kickoff get a better seat than a freshman who shows up thirty minutes beforehand?

Some argue that upperclassmen have “paid their dues” and deserve to have their own section. Give me a break. The only “dues” that should matter when it comes to seating at football games involve those paid by getting to the stadium to earn the seats you receive. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of an emphasis put on arrival time moving forward when it comes to football tickets.

Now, I’m obviously biased given the fact that I am one of the hooligans who camps outside the stadium just to be among the first students to enter on Saturday. Still, I don’t see what there is to be upset about when it comes to class divisions.

There are certainly things to be frustrated about when it comes to decisions made by Penn State, but this is definitely not one of them. Trust me, when you’re bouncing up and down to Zombie Nation after a big interception, or getting thrown in the air after a touchdown, you won’t care who is in your section.

For reasons why the senior section should be brought back, check out the other side of this Onward Debates.