Mustang Maniac relished sitting behind the opposing team at Gerald J. Ford Stadium last year. It was the next best thing to sitting behind the Mustangs. They did not, however, love the heat that accompanies those seats, which sat directly in the sunlight.

On Saturday, students will be placed in a different section. The new location is sections 120-122, inside of the bend on the east side of the stadium. Students have received the change with mixed opinions.

Student fans are notorious for leaving football games at halftime. Some cite the heat and others, the low level of play that has taken place. With an expected increase in the level of support and the quality of football, the athletics department thought a change should be made to alleviate the weather burden.

The purpose of the relocation is to raise student involvement in the action on the field as well as ease some of the exposure to sunlight.

“They’re actually closer to the horseshoe,” said Shawn Heilbron, director of Marketing and Promotions. “There will definitely be more shade early.”

Some students are happy about sitting in a place with more shade. Last year’s seats were in the center of the east of the stadium, facing the sun as it set.

“It was hot,” said junior art history and Spanish major Karla Lopez. “More students may want to attend and stay late. It may promote school spirit.”

Heilbron said that promoting school spirit was one of the main objectives of the move.

“They’re closer, so we can get the students more involved early,” Heilbron said. “Before, [the students] were on an island. Now they’re closer to the action.”

Sophomore theatre major, Mustang Maniac and Mustang 11 member, T.K. Stillman was disappointed when he found out the new location.

“I don’t understand how we’re supposed to cheer on our football team if they can’t hear us from the corner of the stadium,” Stillman said.

Stillman believes that the west side of the stadium would have been a better option. Heilbron agreed, but said that was not feasible.

“Everything was considered,” Heilbron said. “We wanted to give the students better position while displacing as few of our season ticket holders as possible. So this was the next best thing.”

Season-ticket holders are seated adjacent to the 50-yard line, on the west side of the stadium. Students were directly across from them.

Ideally, spectators event like to be seated near the center of the playing area. The new section, near the north endzone will offer a less direct view.

“The view might not be as good,” said sophomore vocal performance major Bill Smith, “I’ll have to wait and see how it works out. [The shade] is the positive thing.”

In a period where everything in SMU football seems new – the stadium, the coaching staff and high anticipation – Lopez expressed a mentality that the athletics department hopes is the prevailing response.

“I only went to one game last year because it was so hot,” Lopez said. “I’ll probably go to more now.”