"Based on the student sale last year and questions [from students] as a result of last year, we took the opportunity to use the offseason to look at the process," Myford said. He added the athletic department wanted to be as "fair as possible ... while giving as many Penn State students as we could a fair shake at being involved."
Myford said the Penn State athletic department consulted several student groups, including Lion Ambassadors, the University Park Under-graduate Association (UPUA), the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon and Paternoville, before reaching a decision.
Although they were involved in those meetings, several student representatives, including founder and former president of the Paternoville Coordination Committee Jordan Cascino, said they were shocked at the announcement.
"The university has made an absolutely tragic mistake," Cascino said. "I don't remember any students at all advocating a lottery."
Cascino said he was under the impression after the meeting that if any changes were to be made, they would be based on seniority.
"If there were a dozen groups [at the meeting], one or two [advocated a lottery]," Cascino said. "That's why this comes as such a shock to me and everyone I talked to since the meeting. No one saw this coming, and I think it's a really poor decision the university is making."
Myford acknowledged the decision was not unanimous and said as long as the demand for tickets exceeds the supply, there will never be a consensus.
"Everyone is going to have an opinion," Myford said. "And we need to try to cut through the opinion and emotion and find the most fair way to get tickets to the most students."
UPUA president-elect Hillary Lewis said last night she had already heard from "numerous students" complaining about the new distribution system. She said UPUA is not going to wait until next year to take action, adding the student advocacy group will try to change the system before the summer.
Lewis said it would cause an "uproar" among students and a lottery system is "just not the answer." She added that hardcore fans who normally buy tickets first would be hurt the most.
"A lot of those people who are devoted to football, who bleed blue and white, are going to be shortchanged," she said.
Tom Shakely, former UPUA member, said he "couldn't believe" the new system and didn't think UPUA would be able to do anything.
"This decision is just God awful, and frankly, I'm glad I'm not involved anymore," Shakely said. "It's a disaster."
He said PSU Stop, an anti-administration organization aiming to represent students' interests, would be holding a rally sometime in the near future to "harness the outrage of students" to protest the new system.
"[The administration thinks] they can just ram this through because it's the end of the year," Shakely said. "It's an absolute strategy. It's brilliant too, because students just aren't in town."
Myford responded to the criticism, saying unrest is always the case with change. He said he expected the system to draw questions and hoped students would try the new process before judging it.
"Before any of us judge it, I hope we try it," Myford said. "Based on our experience, getting the most students involved is best for everyone."
-- Collegian staff writers Ian Brown and Billy Wellock contributed to this report.
Send an 
