NEW YORK - Fans attending Columbia Men's Basketball contests in Levien Gymnasium on the Columbia University campus will have the opportunity to enter the basketball venue through the new entrance in the Northwest Corner Building on 120^th Street and Broadway, beginning with the Columbia vs. Elon men's basketball contest on Saturday, December 22. In addition, all day-of-game men's basketball ticket operations, including walk-up purchasing and will call pickup (for pre-paid and complimentary tickets) will be relocated to the ticket booth located on West 120^th Street.

"The recent construction of The Northwest Corner Building includes a fabulous new entry vestibule to Levien Gymnasium," noted Dr. M. Dianne Murphy, Columbia's director of intercollegiate athletics and physical education. "We are excited to invite our fans to enter Levien Gymnasium from street level starting on Saturday, December 22."

Use of the 120^th Street entrance to Levien Gymnasium will begin sixty (60) minutes prior to scheduled tip-off, and will be available for contest entry only. Pass-out and return will not be permitted through the 120^th Street entrance; fans will be able to exit the gymnasium through the Northwest Corner Building vestibule at the conclusion of the contest.

Because of the proximity of the entrance to the basketball court, access through the 120^th Street entry will be temporarily halted during game play. Fans arriving after tip-off will only be permitted to enter the gymnasium during official timeouts at the 16-, 12-, 8- and 4-minute marks of each half, and at halftime. Fans are encouraged to arrive at least fifteen (15) minutes before the scheduled start time to ensure that they will be able to be seated in time for tip-off.

The Dodge Fitness Center entrance(s) to Levien Gymnasium will remain open for all home basketball contests. Columbia students attending all basketball contests must enter through the second floor of the Dodge Fitness Center by swiping their Columbia University and/or Barnard College ID cards at the gymnasium entrance to receive free admission. All fans entering from 120^th Street will require a game ticket or media credential.

All ticketed fans may enter Levien Gymnasium either through the Dodge Fitness Center. Fans already in possession of their tickets prior to arriving on campus are encouraged to use the Dodge Fitness Center entrance to avoid potential delays in entering the facility.

Fans picking up pre-paid tickets and/or complimentary tickets left by both the home and visiting teams are reminded to retrieve their tickets from the windowed ticket office, located on West 120^th Street, at the lobby entrance to the Northwest Corner Building.

The 120^th Street/Northwest Corner Building entrance to Levien Gymnasium will be open for men's basketball contests only, through the conclusion of the 2012-13 basketball season.