In the campus’ second semester under a new online ticketing system, officials with Student Government said tonight’s Campout will meet expected numbers of participation.

According to Adam Whitehouse, a junior in psychology and chair of the Student Senate’s Campus Community Committee, 266 students registered in 35 groups to participate in this year’s Campout, one of two ways for students to win tickets to basketball games.

“We normally have about 500 people camp out for UNC and a little less than that for Duke, but with this being for Maryland, around 200 [students] is what we expected,” Whitehouse said.

The traditional Campout for tickets to the annual Duke home game ended after the addition of three schools to the Atlantic Coast Conference caused a change in scheduling.

“Since we don’t play Duke at home this year, we had three choices for the first Campout,” Whitehouse said. “We could have Campout for Wake Forest, Maryland or Boston College. The B.C. game is just three days after the UNC game, so that was out. And the Wake Forest game was right after break, so it just wasn’t possible.”

Students who planned to attend tonight’s event said they were still enthusiastic about Campout.

“It’s my senior year and my last chance to camp out, besides UNC, and 10 or 11 of my best friends are going to be out there with me,” Darren Murph, a senior in business management, said. “It will be a fun way to spend some time with those guys.”

Murph, who hasn’t attended a Campout in his time at the University, said he was excited to see if the event lived up to his friends’ descriptions.

“It seems like I’ve always been away the weekends of Campouts, but this year I made sure to make time for it,” he said.

Jennifer Hilburn, a junior in accounting, said the decision to hold Campout for the Maryland game hadn’t dampened the spirits of the eight members in her group.

“Most State students hate Maryland as much as Duke,” Hilburn said. “I think Campout is just a better way to get tickets.”

The other way, entering an online lottery, has proven fickle since the first football game in September revealed flaws in the system.

Whitehouse said the system, operating under Athletics, is still working through kinks, specifically in a points system that penalizes students for not attending games they have tickets for.

“We have seen trouble where students have been penalized for not attending games that they were at,” Whitehouse said.

Complaints still linger from an administrative rules imposition following the 2000 UNC Campout that saw student rioting and couches on fire. At that time, Campout hosted as many as 5,000 students, and alcohol was consumed freely.

“I don’t have a problem with the no alcohol part-I understand the concern,” Murph said. “But not being able to have small propane heaters to cook hot dogs or something is being a little too cautious. If there is no alcohol involved, then people will be acting rationally. It’s just too cautious.”

Hilburn said she also understood the administration’s point of view.

“There seems to be a lot of complaining that Campout isn’t what it used to be. Well, no– there are problems that need to be fixed,” Hilburn said. “It would be nice to have a little heat though-it gets pretty cold out there.”

Whitehouse said only one change had been made to this year’s Campout.

“In the past when you stayed [at Campout], you would wake up in the morning and physically receive your tickets,” he said. “This year, we take all the unity numbers for people at Campout and send them to Athletics. Then students can print their tickets off the ticket website.”

Murph said another problem with the system was that students weren’t given much warning for the event.

“I don’t think it was publicized enough,” Murph said. “But then, those who want to campout will be there.

“The true fans will do it anyways.”