Students stand in line to register for the Izzone campout Sept. 25, 2013, at the MSU Union. Students waited in a line that covered two floors of the building. Khoa Nguyen/The State News
Students packed the halls of the MSU Union on Wednesday and waited hours to gain their plot of land on Munn Field for the annual Izzone Campout this Friday.
Abnormally high turnout for the registration event led officials to believe the Izzone Campout could be its most crowded in years.
Each year, the Association of Future Alumni, or AFA, hosts a campout for all students who bought season tickets to the men’s basketball games, offering games, giveaways and food at the event.
Registration for the campout started at 10 a.m. Wednesday, and Matt Martin, director of Izzone at AFA, said the crowd remained strong throughout the day.
Although the staff for the Izzone Campout was prepared for large crowds, they were forced to add more staff to account for the overwhelming numbers.
AFA officials said the organization was on par to reach their expected turnout of 3,000 students for the campout.
While attendance at the event is usually high each year, Martin said the organization did not expect such a large turnout.
“This (camp out) is the biggest we’ve had in eight years,” Martin said.
The line for registration snaked around the the Union, spanning two floors and ending at the start of a third.
Students waiting for their spot also were astonished.
Agricultural business senior Jeff Breves said he could not believe the line for registration, even though he’d attended several campouts in the past.
“Last year it only took 10 minutes … this year I have been in line for almost an hour,” Breves said of the Wednesday registration.
While Breves was just finishing up his long wait, journalism junior Luke Ferris had just started.
Ferris said he first tried to register at 2:30 p.m., but had to leave because the long line would have made him miss class. When he returned, the line was even longer.
“I thought it would lighten up” said Ferris, who expressed frustration with the organization of the registration.
Ferris said looking to other techniques for registration would make the process easier for staff and students.
One possible reason for the increase in student turnout could be the changes made to how the AFA determines seating for the lower bowl.
Students who purchased season tickets received an email earlier this week stressing students to attend the camp out to raise their chances of lower bowl selection.
Ferris said he thinks this was the main cause of the popularity, stating that the main reason he was waiting in line was to increase the chances for lower bowl seating.
He added that many students don’t sign up solely for the camping experience, but rather to secure their seating.
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