The reason(s) Alfond is not so loud anymore DO have something
to do with students.
The students are placed in the back, so they may not be as effective
as they used to be.    Also, there is a greater percentage of non-
students at the games now, since the expansion.   Non-students tend
to be more sober and quiet, having lost the spark for life.  ;)
Also,  I was at the BU-Maine game, and your friend was correct
about the lack of energy in the place.   The biggest cheering was
being done by the BU folks.   I was embarrassed to be a Maine fan.
You see, the Ticket office at UMaine distrubuites the student tickets,
which are stamped "STUDENT" and cannot be used by others.   In past
years, students got their tickets the Monday before the game, or
right before the game.   There were always a certain # of seats for
the crazy, loud student-fans.
Well, this year the students at UMaine have been Shafted, quite simply.
We were told in the campus newspaper that we had to get the tickets for
the next 2 months worth of games all at once, at a certain deadline.  Hmm
well, that is diffirent, we said, and kept reading this article.
Then we found out that the aforementioned deadline was.... A MONTH before
this article was printed!!!   And that they would be selling unclaimed
student tickets to the General Public!   But we could still wait in line
before the game and try to get tickets, if any were left.
Well,  the  Maine-BU game was very popular, (a understatement) and the
jerks sold the student tickets to the G.P.  So, the result was few
students,  few cheers,  a uninspired Maine team, and a worse than
needed drubbing by BU.
Also, many P.O'ed student fans, like me.
 
-Brent
 
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