But with the revamped regulations, this will prove difficult. While many problems such as the cost and deadline restrictions on ticket transfers were removed, swapping tickets online instead of in-person will deter students and lower attendance.

The biggest issue with more rigorous enforcement is that non-students are forbidden from the student section. Under the policy, students only are allowed access if the photo matches the person holding the ID.

This is a huge problem for students, and the school as a whole. Students often buy tickets for friends and siblings in the student section. Now, for students to watch a sports game with family or friends, they will have to buy a non-student section ticket themselves to sit with them.

Allowing non-students into the student section also was a form of unofficial recruitment for the university. If a younger sibling of a student went to a game in the student section, it could persuade them to apply to MSU. Allowing people who are not yet a part of the community to get a glimpse at the great things we have to offer is a recruitment opportunity lost with the policy.

Athletic officials argue students from other universities create a safety concern in the student section. We disagree.

Many students are aware of fans of the opposing team being heckled and ribbed while in the student section, but the idea of violence as a result of this is extreme.

Officials also say swapping IDs could pose a security risk by allowing people access to places only reserved for students. We agree this was a serious problem that needed to be addressed. IDs allow students to get into places that are meant to be safe and secure, such as dormitory halls. When students hand out their identification at games, they also are handing out a key to their and other students’ homes.

This could lead to serious safety breeches. Strangers with student IDs are a ticking time bomb for theft, vandalism and even assault in the dorms.

Handing out student IDs needed to end — however, friends and family of students shouldn’t have to pay the price. One way to prevent this would be taking the ID out of the equation.

The ticket website could allow students to transfer to a printed ticket, not an ID. To ensure the ticket holder is with a student, the policy could be similar to the way MSU handles guests in the dorms after midnight. A student would have to be present with the guest and the printed ticket would only be valid in conjunction with a student ID.

MSU more strictly enforces restrictions to increase safety, which is understandable, but the policy is doing the one thing our athletic department and fans do not want to see: taking fans out of the stands. If MSU wants to continue to see a drop in attendance, then keeping the current system is exactly what it should do.