Kansas University’s student government leaders have responded after the university’s athletics department shifted some prized seats in Allen Fieldhouse from students to donors.

Section U includes seats behind the bench and near the tunnel where KU basketball players take the floor. Students did not lose any seats overall in the shuffle.

The move to make Section U donor seating follows a vote this spring by the KU Student Senate to eliminate a $25 student fee that for years has provided more than $1 million in revenue for the athletics department.

KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little restored the student fee to athletics, but at a reduced amount of $7 per semester, which will provide the athletic department with nearly $350,000 annually.

In explaining the change to the seating chart, associate athletics director Jim Marchiony said, “During this process, the student government made it clear to us that they wanted us to find other sources of revenue other than the student athletic fee, and that is what we’ve done.”

In a statement released Friday, KU’s student body responded.

“Students and their dollars should not be used as a safety net in the corporation’s overall budget,” said KU Student Body Vice President Morgan Said in the statement.

“With a 7 percent budget increase this year – stemming primarily from ticket sales and revenue sports – it is unfortunate that Kansas Athletics was unable to compensate for the student fee cut in a way that would not eliminate some of the best student seats in Allen Fieldhouse,” Said added.