Collegiate Times

Distribution of student season football tickets will be altered again for the 2009 season.

Last year, ticketing services tried a credit card-like ticket, which was to be used for every game. This single card was used to enter every home game during the season, preventing many tickets from changing hands and causing problems if it was lost or stolen.

This year, students will receive season tickets in a new way.

Sandy Smith Jr., assistant athletic director of ticketing services, said tickets "will be similar to what we did last year with basketball tickets, but more convenient."

Three days before each home game, students with season tickets will get an e-mail with a PDF file attached. Students will have to print the PDF file - it's their ticket to the game.

"There were a lot of complaints about the card, and students voiced their dislike to ticketing services," Smith said. "SGA had asked for both an electronic form of tickets and season tickets years ago."

Over the years, the athletic department has increased the number of season tickets available to students. The seating capacity at Lane Stadium is 66,233, and 17,000 of those tickets are allotted to students.

"We want the majority of students to be able to get to the game and enjoy the game," Smith said.

Tickets will cost $60, plus a $15 dollar service charge.

"The new ticketing system makes sense," said freshman forestry major Alex Crooks. "Everything is going to the e-mail and the Internet now."

Some of the problems with last year's tickets arose when students put down residence hall addresses. Tickets were returned to ticketing services, and students were required to pick them up in person.

One reason for the change in ticket form was to keep students from reselling tickets.

"They won't be selling the new tickets for a large profit because they aren't a traditional ticket-stub," Smith said.

Ticketing services still approves of selling tickets to games students cannot attend, just not for a profit - limiting the price to what was paid: $10 per game.

"The e-mail format will make it easier for students to forward it to a friend," Smith said.

"I had friends who let me borrow their season tickets for games last year," Crooks said. "It was a hassle for both of us when we had to exchange the card."

However, some believe the new system just creates a different set of hassles.

"I don't like that I have to print off the ticket," said sophomore biochemistry major Lea Mitchell. "I think that people will forget to print it off."

Students with season tickets will have to print their tickets before game day.

No changes will be made to the lottery for students who do not have season tickets. Freshmen and transfer students will still have to enter the lottery if they want to get a ticket.

"I didn't get any tickets through the lottery last season," Crooks said. "But I still got tickets to six games. If you want to go to football games, you can still find a ticket as a freshman."

The likelihood of freshmen ever being able to get season tickets again is low.

"When we have let first-year students get season tickets it didn't work out well," Smith said. "They signed up to be in groups with friends they met at orientation, but they never talked to them again. So students were buying a second ticket to sit with friends and wasting their season ticket."

Each year ticketing services gets about 400 seats back at the start of fall semester from students who have become ineligible. Those tickets get canceled and go back to the lottery.

"The biggest problem with the lottery is getting students to come get the tickets," Smith said.