The Facts: The Athletics Commission proposed allocating some of the student seats at the UNC-Chapel Hill game to general admission; a portion of the funds raised would go to the Finish the Bell Tower campaign.
Our Opinion: Donating money from ticket sales — especially for seats that probably would have sat empty anyway — is a great idea. The Athletics Commission must ensure that all proceeds from the sales go to the campaign or another charitable cause.
The football game against UNC-Chapel Hill falls during Thanksgiving break this year. Under normal circumstances, the game would draw a massive student audience and fill the six student sections at Carter-Finley Stadium to capacity.
Games over Thanksgiving break have historically resulted in significantly lower student attendance and present problems for Athletics, as it struggles to fill the stands.
To remedy that issue, the Athletics Commission has proposed selling some of the student section seats and giving a portion of the proceeds to the Finish the Bell Tower campaign.
This approach is astute, as is the committee’s decision to set aside 6,400 student tickets despite attendance statistics during previous years — this is the Chapel Hill game after all. Students should come in increased numbers from previous years and provide the jam-packed, competitive, atmosphere the rivalry deserves.
Likewise, selling some of the student seats to energized alumni will ensure the stadium is rocking after every score during the Wolfpack’s upcoming victory against Carolina.
The troubling part about the committee’s announcement is that only a portion of the funding will go toward the Finish the Bell Tower campaign. It is understandable if Athletics keeps a small portion of the money raised to cover its overhead caused by selling the tickets, but almost all the money should be donated.
Students’ Athletics fees cover the cost of student tickets and enable the student body to go to see games “for free.” If Athletics sells some of the tickets, it must be doing it on behalf of the students and not for any sort of gain to its bottom line.
The Athletics Commission did its job in identifying the issue with break ticketing and coming up with a solution that serves students’ interests.
Now, Athletics must be held accountable for the funds it raises through the ticket sales and donate all proceeds to the Finish the Bell Tower campaign or some other worthy charitable cause students’ representatives in Student Government arrange with the committee.
The ticket sales are a great idea, but students must make sure the money raised is properly utilized and not sent to the Athletics slush fund.
