[BoomerSooner]

I also worked as an IM official as a student, and I think having students officiate the games creates an interesting dynamic. I suspect part of the issue you are facing is that you are new at this school. I dealt with the same stuff you described as a new official in the IM program when I was in college. I attribute the criticism I got from players to two (maybe 3) issues:

1. I was new and they wanted to test my limits.
2. They weren't used to someone that would call a game like I did.
3. I'm not committing to this 100%, but maybe I was wrong on occasion.

Regarding the first point, if the players know the other guys (on or off the court) their lack of complaining to them may be reflective of that relationship. They complain to the person they don't know. They may also know that the other guys won't tolerate it, so they complain to you thinking you won't give them a T because you're the new guy. They'll learn this isn't true if you consistently aware them Ts when they earn them.

Concerning the second point, I think you were on the right track regarding your observation about your "intense" demeanor. I came into IM officiating with some experience calling games outside of the IM program (middle school and some JV), and thus I took the game more seriously than many other officials. I worked on my mechanics and positioning, called violations and fouls that others missed, managed the game and kept the players in line. Most IM players were not accustomed to that level of officiating. I worked with other officials that wouldn't blow their whistle to save their own life, wouldn't call a T without consulting a supervisor and didn't seem to understand their role in the game. If the players pick up on that degree of dichotomy between you and other officials, they will be critical of you (you're the guy that stands out). It was a beautiful day when I finally found another IM official during my junior year that called games in a similar manner. We ended up getting assigned to most of the high quality frat/sorority games, and the players realized neither of us would put up with poor behavior, but also that there wasn't any need to whine because we were going to put forth maximum effort and did a good job based on the feedback we received.

I'm not sure which issue you're facing, but the best recommendation I can give is to keep doing the best you can and be consistent with handling complaining players. If the behavior warrants a T, award the player a T. If a player comes to you in a respectful manner and is complaining about something, listen to his/her complaints and acknowledge.