(Sorry for length.)

Student seating in the lower bowl consists of four sections on one end, with half of one for the pep band. Both sides and the other end of the lower bowl are reserved seating. So if students want to attend, or there is any general admission to speak of, they have to show up and require someone to open up a couple upper-level sections, right then and there. The upper "200 Level" is "available as necessary."

Here's the seating chart for 2023:
https://niuhuskies.com/sports/2016/7/25/...ckets.aspx

It's the same old same old. "Suitcase" students go home on weekends, and now NIU has more commuter students who go home after classes on weekdays too. But even if only 30% of students are in dorms and apartments, with 15,000 enrollment that's still 4,500 students. Thirty % of that is 1,350 ... but I doubt they'd all fit on one end of the lower bowl. So given the "as necessary," and the fact that students don't show up en masse but trickle in, what is there ready for them? They don't want to sit with the gray hairs and older couples.

NIU has always been lousy at marketing, but a complaint without a proposal is just as empty. So here's one: See the map above. Look at upper level sections 211, 212 and 213. Or look opposite at sections 202, 203 and 204. They are center court, upper level. After the lower bowl, best seats in the house. Designate those as premium (but still free) student seating. That's only pulling out 6 of 18 sections, and not even the biggest ones.

Put out some emails, flyers, posters, whatever. Something jazzy, like the fake full-house picture on the above web page. Make sure it promotes weekday games. Also promote how easy it is to get to/from on a campus bus (largest univ. bus system in state?). Designate a section of the east parking lot as a "campus bus port" (reflective marker cones, banners on lamp posts, etc.). Add some inexpensive deal ... free soda, free slice, etc. Sodexo will go along because after that, more customers means more $. The whole effort is cheap but potentially effective.

OK, there are 100 things to find wrong with this. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't. But you TRY. You don't ever quit. Maybe there needs to be some "hard way" in the athletic administration.

(11-12-2023 09:09 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  Keep doing what they did this weekend and there won’t be any other option than having them out.

+1

“If you build it they will ( oh, alright) might come.”

Athletics should consider tearing out the seats and starting over with a better design. Maybe even lower the floor. The track is not regulation size. They can put a regulation track under the seats if that is an issue. The lower bowl should be at least 30 rows high.

I'm still waiting to hear how/when NIU is going to replace the artificial turf and underlayment in Huskie Stadium. Or finish the baseball stadium. Or (name your project). 'Til then, anything I suggest (see above) is at least going to be cheap.

Does anyone know what the average sponsor pays for the signs and such at Huskie stadium/convo? There are so many sponsors throughout the football game they have to be bringing in some decent money from that

(11-12-2023 04:48 PM)MPython Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 01:37 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  Is there any reasoning as to why they leave them pushed in? This is a topic that has been discussed for many years. Even when I was a student they had them pushed in. Is the mechanism to pull them out and push them in broken?

Track practice occurs on the upper level, hence the seats need to be pushed in

I am sure the Field House still has a track. Can’t they use that on game days?

(11-13-2023 06:55 AM)Big_Man Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 04:48 PM)MPython Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 01:37 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  Is there any reasoning as to why they leave them pushed in? This is a topic that has been discussed for many years. Even when I was a student they had them pushed in. Is the mechanism to pull them out and push them in broken?

Track practice occurs on the upper level, hence the seats need to be pushed in

I am sure the Field House still has a track. Can’t they use that on game days?

Not really sire they actually use it much. That track is so torn up that I would worry about injury. Sprint lanes at the indoor re probably used more. Such a poorly designed and constructed building. Money will never be there, but the ends should be connected and lower bowl reconstructed for sure. And buy 4-5 good seats. You can make the rest benches.

(11-13-2023 07:53 AM)HuskieJ Wrote:  

(11-13-2023 06:55 AM)Big_Man Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 04:48 PM)MPython Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 01:37 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  Is there any reasoning as to why they leave them pushed in? This is a topic that has been discussed for many years. Even when I was a student they had them pushed in. Is the mechanism to pull them out and push them in broken?

Track practice occurs on the upper level, hence the seats need to be pushed in

I am sure the Field House still has a track. Can’t they use that on game days?

Not really sire they actually use it much. That track is so torn up that I would worry about injury. Sprint lanes at the indoor re probably used more. Such a poorly designed and constructed building. Money will never be there, but the ends should be connected and lower bowl reconstructed for sure. And buy 4-5 good seats. You can make the rest benches.

Sorry. I'm trying to follow you here. At first I thought you were talking about the fieldhouse and then it seems like you're talking about the Convo.

Are you suggesting they put in bleachers in the Convo?

(11-13-2023 08:28 AM)Big Red Wrote:  

(11-13-2023 07:53 AM)HuskieJ Wrote:  

(11-13-2023 06:55 AM)Big_Man Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 04:48 PM)MPython Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 01:37 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  Is there any reasoning as to why they leave them pushed in? This is a topic that has been discussed for many years. Even when I was a student they had them pushed in. Is the mechanism to pull them out and push them in broken?

Track practice occurs on the upper level, hence the seats need to be pushed in

I am sure the Field House still has a track. Can’t they use that on game days?

Not really sire they actually use it much. That track is so torn up that I would worry about injury. Sprint lanes at the indoor re probably used more. Such a poorly designed and constructed building. Money will never be there, but the ends should be connected and lower bowl reconstructed for sure. And buy 4-5 good seats. You can make the rest benches.

Sorry. I'm trying to follow you here. At first I thought you were talking about the fieldhouse and then it seems like you're talking about the Convo.

Are you suggesting they put in bleachers in the Convo?

Convo. Current seats are awful. Spend some money on decent seats in the bowl. The rest really don't matter much.

(11-12-2023 03:54 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 03:39 PM)Big_Man Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 01:37 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  Is there any reasoning as to why they leave them pushed in? This is a topic that has been discussed for many years. Even when I was a student they had them pushed in. Is the mechanism to pull them out and push them in broken?

Is it just easier to clean? If they wanted a 2,000 seat arena, they should have just revamped the FieldHouse in 2002.

Hell, Evans Field House held just over 6,000. A revamp with movie theatre style recliners could probably have fit 4,000 plus which is 2,000 more than we get now for most games. And let's face it, some of those Convo seats already need to be replaced.

They should have done that... remodeled the Fieldhouse for a bball arena and put the tennis facility at teh convo. Seriously.

I heard STF insists on having the entire Convo upper bowl retracted at all times to perfect his basketball game day golf cart route. No interior walking, it's in his contract extension, that he drafted and approved.

(11-13-2023 03:03 PM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  I heard STF insists on having the entire Convo upper bowl retracted at all times to perfect his basketball game day golf cart route. No interior walking, it's in his contract extension, that he drafted and approved.

I can actually see that.

And that should scare anyone.

(11-12-2023 04:15 PM)HuskieDave Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 03:54 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 03:39 PM)Big_Man Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 01:37 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  Is there any reasoning as to why they leave them pushed in? This is a topic that has been discussed for many years. Even when I was a student they had them pushed in. Is the mechanism to pull them out and push them in broken?

Is it just easier to clean? If they wanted a 2,000 seat arena, they should have just revamped the FieldHouse in 2002.

Hell, Evans Field House held just over 6,000. A revamp with movie theatre style recliners could probably have fit 4,000 plus which is 2,000 more than we get now for most games. And let's face it, some of those Convo seats already need to be replaced.

“Already”?…….. The Convocation Center is now 21 years old.

Compared to Huskie stadium it seems brand new LOL

I like the seating at the convo. Many other G5's and some P5s are still rocking a lot of bench seating, chair backs and armrests are a luxury. I like the layout as well.