COLUMN: Committee is working to resolve seat controversy

From Lee Goldsmith's "Standing Room Only," Fall '95 Point is, in the wide world of Penn sports, coach Al Bagnoli and his 22-and-counting gridiron warriors own the months of autumn. Granted, there is the saturated exception of Rob Hodgson's ridiculous indecisiveness. But other than that, there's no need to think about Penn basketball yet, right? Guess again. In fact, just the opposite is true. The last few weeks have seen some very interesting developments related to your support of Penn basketball. So I thought I'd take some time to fill you in. First, some background information may be in order. As most people who don't hibernate in the Van Pelt stacks know, Section 115 of the Palestra is a courtside section with five or so rows of student seating. For the past four or five years, most students in the 115 chairbacks have chosen to remain standing from opening tip to final buzzer at each game. This behavior has resulted in numerous disagreements. The reason is simple -- when students in 115 stand, the alumni and other season ticket holders in Sections 114 (to the right of 115) and 214 (behind 114) cannot see almost a third of the Palestra floor. These ticket holders have demanded that students in 115 sit for some of the action. My seat is in the front row of Section 115, so I can attest to this. The students have continued to stand. My seat is in the front row of Section 115, so I can definitely attest to this. Hence the problem. The two most meaningful and dedicated groups of Penn basketball fans -- the students in 115 and their season ticket-holding alumni counterparts in Sections 114 and 214 -- are at odds. And over the past few years, neither side has backed down. Which brings us to this year. About three weeks ago, I received a phone call from the athletic department. A committee with representation for all sides -- the students, the season ticket holders, the athletic department -- was being assembled. The intention was to discuss the problem and hopefully reach a solution before Ira Bowman starts dunking come November. My presence, along with two other students who sit in 115, was requested on the committee. I must admit that my attitude before our meeting was not one of compromise. I was not going to back down, and I sure as hell wasn't going to sit at the Palestra. But after three hours of discussion, I realized things aren't necessarily that simple. There is no answer. At least not one that will please everyone. Athletic director Steve Bilsky, to his credit, is handling things the best he can. To describe him as between the proverbial rock and hard place, after all, would be a severe understatement. Whatever he decides will make one party unhappy. Such is life sometimes. At first glance, an easy solution appeared to be moving season ticket holders in Sections 114 and 214 to the other side of the court. But this is not possible, because the other side of the court is sold out. Some members of the alumni representation suggested moving all students out of 115, but Bilsky will not let this happen. A proposal was made to cut out some student seats in 115 along a diagonal sight line from 114/214, and to offer as compensation various seats in other locations. Compared to 115, though, the other locations are terrible. If my choice is between sitting in 115 and standing along the baseline or up in the rafters, the choice is not a hard one. I'll keep my seat, thank you. And I'm sure any student given the opportunity to enjoy the Quakers at courtside would feel the same way. Under no circumstances should we be forced unconditionally out of our courtside student section. If students are willing to compromise, let them stay. If not, let them stand elsewhere. But something has to give. The problem is far from solved, and your input is welcome. It will only get solved if people are willing to work together in good faith for a solution. If that happens, then come November all of the Penn community can agree on one thing. Let's Go Quakers.