MSU officials are looking to give the best seats in Spartan Stadium to the top money donors, however, Athletics Director Ron Mason said student seating will likely be untouched.

Under the plan, fans that pay more money would get seats closer to the 50-yard line for football games. Mason said the plan is still in an early stage, and no donation amount has been set.

"The bottom line is to keep up with rising costs," Mason said. "It's essentially scholarship seating."

Mason said the money would go primarily toward paying for scholarships for MSU's 25 varsity sports.

He added he believes the plan could work because seven other Big Ten schools have similar seating and those that don't are considering it.

The plan would have to work its way through the MSU Athletics Department, before the MSU Board of Trustees would review it.

No timetable has been set for the plan, but Trustee Dee Cook said the board could see a finalized proposal as early as April.

"There's a sense of urgency for getting this into place, so people know what to expect for tickets," Cook said,

He also added fans who have held season tickets for 25 or more years might get a reduced rate on the better seats. "They don't want to throw people out of the stadium."

News of the plan comes after MSU officials announced Wednesday they would be raising prices on football season tickets for the public by an average of $3-$4 per game. Student season-ticket prices will not be affected.

And the preferred seating idea is already active at Breslin Center, where fans participate in a points system.

Points are awarded to fans who have had tickets the longest and who have made contributions to MSU.

Trustee David Porteous said the success with the men's basketball team seating will be a factor in the board's decision when it looks at the plan. Porteous declined to comment on whether the plan was a good idea, but did say the board has confidence in Mason.

"One of the most impressive things about Ron - besides being a great coach - is he knows how to stretch dollars and he knows how to enhance revenue," the board's chairperson said.

"I would fully expect each and every day, he and his staff are looking at how to