It started at the home opener back in November.

A roaring crowd, eager fans and a student section packed so tightly, moving one’s arms seemed a daunting task. It’s now ending with just a simple crowd and a dwindling student section.

Recently, some fans have noticed a steep decrease in student attendance at the men’s basketball games.

“We’re really disappointed by the level of intensity in participation that we’ve had from the Wichita State students this season,” said Max Runyon, Marshallville president. “We’ve looked into it a little bit, and unfortunately, there hasn’t been anything this season to match the level of intensity from seasons past.”

Marshallville is an area outside of Charles Koch Arena where students camp before basketball games. It was established in 2013 and came out of a student-led effort to increase Shocker pride.

The student section holds roughly 1,100 seats, and the ticket office confirmed more than 1,100 student tickets are given out for each game. However, a good number of those tickets go unused.

With feats such as an NCAA Final Four appearance in 2013 and a 35-game winning streak last season, the level of power has seemed to dissipate for many students this season, according to Runyon.

An area of focus for Marshallville: tradition. Runyon said other universities across the nation have chants and traditions passed down from generations, something WSU hasn’t yet embraced.

Shocker Maniacs, a Shocker sports fan group, along with Marshallville, gives students the opportunity to enter games early and access front row seating. Maniacs use an app for students to “check-in” in order to get the incentives. Representatives from Shocker Maniacs could not be reached for comment.

“I think it’s important to self evaluate, whether it’s as an Athletic Department or as a whole, so we can do a lot better as organizations,” Runyon said.

With a program that ranks at No. 13, boisterous participation is expected to be at a dominant level.

“If we are going to have a program that is going to be top 15 every season, a superlative arena kind of goes hand-in-hand with its basketball team,” Runyon said.

One fan, senior Alex Pierpoint, has not missed a single home game in seven years. His family purchases season tickets every year, and he has noticed the decreased level in student participation.

“It’s disappointing to see people in the student section on their phones and not paying attention,” Pierpoint said.

As the Northern Iowa game approaches, Runyon and Pierpoint said they are hopeful for a rowdy crowd. Anticipated to be the biggest game of the season, Runyon is urging students to get out early and step up the intensity.

Marshallville is implementing more incentives in the effort to increase student attendance by hosting a campout in conjunction with the Channel 96.3 radio station and local food trucks. Details are still in the works.

In a previous story published by the Sunflower in December, head coach Gregg Marshall addressed his concerns for the student section.

“For whatever reason, there’s just a big void of students in that top part of the student section, which is kind of shocking to me,” Marshall was quoted in the Dec. 11 article. “I don’t want to say disappointing, but I just kind of wonder what they’re doing.”