Members of Student Government, along with members of University administration and Athletics administration, have finalized plans to change football ticketing procedures after having several meetings to discuss different plans.
The main changes, according to Student Body President Jay Dawkins, will be the implementation of a standby line shortly after kick-off, the beginning of a different seniority point system that could affect what seats students get and a change in the on-demand period following the lottery.
Dawkins said the standby line, which will allow students who do not receive a ticket in the lottery to still possibly get in, will fill Carter-Finley quicker and create a better atmosphere.
“The standby line will do an incredible job in filling those holes that we have right now,” he said. “Hopefully that will get our players more excited and lead to a better overall experience for both students and players.”
The Athletics Ticketing Policy Committee, which includes SG representatives, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Tom Stafford, Associate Athletics Director Dick Christy and Director of Campus Police Tom Younce, is a group Dawkins said worked very well together in attempting to make necessary changes.
“Students should be proud that they have such an incredible advocate in Dick Christy,” Dawkins said. “He’s been a huge help. And Dr. Stafford has been directly involved in the entire process. He raises a lot of good questions which really help us.”
Matt Garcia, junior in sports management and the chair of the SG Athletics Commission, said he was pleased with how well members of the committee listened to different issues that came up.
“It’s been nice to get everybody’s perspectives on the betterment of the University and have all the right goals in mind and have everyone considered,” he said.
Stafford agreed and praised both Dawkins and Garcia for the work they have done.
“This has been a good team effort,” he said. “I want to really commend Jay and Matt for the leadership they have shown and the work they have done with this project.”
For Dawkins and Garcia, the main goal now will be to make sure students are aware of the changes and how they will impact students on and before game day.
The old on-demand period, which ended one day prior to each game, has been updated and extended so that students can still get tickets online up to six hours prior to kick-off.
According to Dawkins, Christy and other members of Athletics figured out they could wait up to six hours before the game and still have time to get the necessary information uploaded on computers at Carter-Finley.
The seniority system, according to Garcia, will operate on a point system that will give more points to upperclassmen. Freshmen will receive two points, sophomores three, juniors four and seniors five. From there, students will gain or lose points based on attendance.
The standby line, which Dawkins said he believes to be the most noticeable change, will allow students who do not receive a ticket through the lottery or on-demand to still have a chance of getting in the game.
Students will join the standby line prior to kick-off on game day and wait to see if seats are available. If there are still empty seats 15 minutes after the scheduled kick-off, those students in the line will be allowed to enter the game. Once the seats are filled by those students with tickets and those admitted on standby status, the students with tickets who arrive late will not be admitted.
“I hope the standby line will allow students who don’t get a ticket to have a chance to get in the game,” Stafford said. “I would like to see students in the seats well before kick-off. Our team needs that motivation well before the start of the game.”
