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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Jake Sherman: Fix the Colonial Army

GW’s basketball program operates on two different levels.

In one respect, they are a team that went 27-1 last season, stayed in the polls all season and garnered attention from many members of the national media.

The way the program operates from the inside, however, doesn’t match its performance last season. The Athletic Department does a terrific job at game-day management, but student ticketing needs to be reevaluated. The administration is making the right move by reexamining its seating policy.

Although plans are still undecided, the University administrators said they would consider steps to allow more students to sit in premier seats in the Smith Center.

The University makes a bold promise to students at Colonial Inauguration: all students are able to enter games with their GWorld at no additional cost. In reality, this has not always been the case.

Students can enter these games for free, but the best seats are reserved for the Colonial Army. The student group, created in 2003, offers premier seating and early admission to the Smith Center with a nominal membership fee of $10 to $15. Members typically sat in the first 15 rows of the Smith Center, and non-members would not have the chance to claim the seats. All students should have a fair shot at the best seats, not just people who pay the paltry fee to become a member of a student pep group.

The fee covered t-shirts and other garb that the Army distributed to its fans. None of the money went to the Athletic Department to purchase these seats, which now seems to be a bone of contention.

Led by co-presidents Frank Dale and JuDonn DeShields, the Army’s current tussle with the University has caused confusion about its future.

Robert Chernak, the senior vice president for Student and Academic Support Services, is correct to suggest an overhaul of student ticketing and preferred seating. Chernak said he offered Dale the entirety of seats, but the Army’s membership would be hiked to upwards of $40. Dale promptly refused.

In an interview, Chernak made it clear that students will never have to pay to enter basketball games. There is no plan, Chernak said, to charge for student admission for basketball games.

Still, the Army is not dead yet. Though the Army faithful could interpret Chernak’s move as hostile, Dale and Chernak are essentially on the same page. Dale said he doesn’t mind the changes, because the club’s goal is to support GW athletics and spread the love for the program. The University and the Army should use this common ground to develop a system that benefits all students, regardless of their affiliation with a student group.

The Cameron Crazies, a Duke student group, does not get preferred seating. They have spirit, they still yell at coaches but they don’t have the opportunity to get into the stadium early.

The ticketing plan needs to be fair. Chernak said other factions on campus should have an equal chance at the seats the Colonial Army previously occupied. Bottom line: students should not have to belong to the Army to get these seats, which invariably happens with the early admission policy. The University should block off five rows of seats that student groups can apply to use on different game days.

The other alternative is that all seats are on a first-come, first-serve basis. To control students skipping class to get these seats, a concern Chernak voiced, the University Police Department could close off the entrances until one hour before doors open.

The Colonial Army’s continued existence should be as a student pep group, a mission Dale said he’s comfortable with. To sweep the Army under the rug would be unfair. Their attendance at away games and ability to rally students benefits the basketball program. They have been a major factor in raising student spirit, but expansion of the GW fan base should be a University goal as well.

Realistically, the GW faithful will find ways to get those seats. They will camp out. The same tri-cornered hat-wearing, face-painting fans will still yell at Phil Martelli and jingle keys at the end of each game, but Chernak and his staff should ensure everyone has the opportunity to support GW basketball.

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