Registration for the annual Campout for tickets to the basketball game against UNC-Chapel Hill is now underway. The Campout is scheduled for Jan. 16 on Lee Field. The basketball game against UNC is Jan. 31.

This year’s system has changed somewhat from last year’s, and not all of the alloted student tickets will be given out to people who camp out.

All of this year’s changes were set in motion by the record turnout of 3,200 students at the 2008 campout. Once that many people registered, Student Government realized that it would have to make changes.

This year’s Campout will take place on Lee Field because of space issues with other potential location, such as the space in front of Reynolds Coliseum, where Campout has been in years past.

“There are only about 2,800 tickets available for the general student body at a game and the side of the road in front Reynolds Coliseum simply couldn’t hold that many people,” an article from Student Government, which explained why this year’s Campout changed, stated.

This year, Student Government took advantage of its time to plan for a larger crowd, according to Tom Stafford, vice chancellor for Student Affairs.

“[Student Body President] Jay [Dawkins] and [Campus Community Commitee Chair] Morgan Donnelly did a great job of planning with Dick Christy and myself, which didn’t happen last year,” he said. “I’m proud of the way they have brought this together.”

This year’s Campout will feature a more strict checkpoint system than the 2008 event. Just as before, only half of each ticket group is required to be present, but having the whole group is preferable, according to Donnelly, and those who are there will have to check in several times.

“There will be four checkpoints at random times during the night,” she said.

Student Government will use student ID’s to complete the checkpoints throughout the night.

Also, since the record turnout maxed out the total number of tickets alloted, there were none left to go online for those who could not Campout. This year, there will be a cutoff for the number who can recieve tickets by camping out.

“We will give away 2,198 tickets, and if we register more than that we will choose who gets to Campout based on loyalty points,” Donelly said.

Loyalty points from the men’s basketball online ticketing system will not only affect the way tickets are distributed if more than 2,198 people register, but students will be seated based on how good or bad their point average is.

The rest of the alloted tickets will be put online, where they can be claimed just like a normal basketball game.

“The allotment is 80% [at Campout] to 20% [online],” Donelly said.

Although the changes have been designed to make the process easier, some students are worried about how the new system will work.

“It sounds like it won’t be as student-friendly,” Paul Lowe, a senior in political science, said.

But Donelly said the student body will notice that these changes are in everyone’s best interest, and says this new system will reward the “loyal fan.”

“I think it will be [more fair],” Donelly said. “If you’re a loyal fan you should be rewarded…that is something that Student Body President Jay Dawkins has been working on a lot.”