Thanks to a new university policy, it is now more expensive for students to bring outside friends and family to the student section of Nittany Lions home football games.

A $20 validation fee is now required for each non-student presenting a student coupon for admission to Beaver Stadium. Confusion and lack of knowledge about the policy caused some students to stay home or leave their friends and family behind to attend this weekend's game against Temple.

Ross Gilbert's friends made the trip to State College this weekend in anticipation of attending Saturday's game. They planned to buy tickets from students and validate them at the gate.

When they realized tickets had to be validated before the game, Gilbert (sophomore-health policy and administration) had to leave his friends behind and attended the game without them.

Bob Cross, a staff assistant in the athletic ticket office, said that Saturday's policy was to take a "reminder stance," and warning fliers stating the policy were distributed to anyone who had not gotten their tickets validated.

Students were not denied admission to the game for failure to adhere to the policy, and many students reported that their student IDs were never checked at the gate.

Bud Meredith, director of ticket operations, said the validation fee is a way of legitimizing the long-standing practice of students selling their $20 tickets to non-students, who would normally pay $40 for a non-student ticket.

While officials say the fee legitimizes a popular practice, some students said they see the new fee as a way for the university to make more money.

"I think it's terrible," said Frank LaRocca (senior-civil engineering). "I think the university is just trying to make extra money from us."

Regardless of why the fee exists, many students, including Brittany Bird (freshman-elementary education), oppose paying more for non-student admission.

"I think it's stupid that you have to pay $20 extra," she said. "You should just pay for your ticket and get in."

Despite criticism of the new policy, Cross said that while he heard some complaints, he saw no problems from non-students seeking admission.

"We had a number of students that actually upgraded tickets for non-students on Thursday and Friday," he said.

Up to four tickets per game can be validated at the Athletic Ticket Office, 240 Bryce Jordan Center, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets cannot be validated on game day or at Beaver Stadium. Students must present their Penn State ID for validation.

Students at satellite campuses can also validate tickets by mailing them to the Athletic Ticket Office a week in advance, to allow time for the tickets to be returned to them, Meredith said.

Gilbert did not realize the policy would not be fully enforced this week, and when told of the warning fliers, he said he was surprised and not happy. "I had no idea," he said. "It's kind of another kick in the face."

The policy will be in full effect for next week's game against Boston College, Cross said.