🏈 Student section seating (again)

[Guest]

Since this has been a pretty hot topic!

:shock:


http://deas.tuscaloosanews.com/default.asp?item=2295036

 

[reger60]

They don't have to join Tide Pride and donate to the athletic department's booster fund to qualify for tickets, and they don't pay full price like other Alabama football supporters.

But they are paying tuition. I'm having a hard time feeling sorry about lost revenue.

At Vandy any unsold tickets in the student section go on sale to the general public the morning of the game. (Of course, at Vandy nobody buys them then either.) But I think that the unsold tickets would sell at Bama pretty quickly. At least the school would fill the stands and recoup a fraction of the "lost" revenue.

As far as students selling their tickets to the highest bidder. I don't see how you'll ever stop that one. Free enterprise.

 

[Guest]

All the tickets at Bama are sold (its the issue of the students not showing up)

 

[BamaGradinTN]

I have no problem with reducing the number of student tickets. The number certainly shouldn't increase.

When I was in school at Bama (1975-79), student tickets to games in Birmingham were $1.00, and tickets to games in Tuscaloosa were free. And there were enough for every student to have one. Unused tickets were sold as student guest tickets. I never recall seeing empty student seats.

As an aside, to be honest, the universities don't care as much for the students as they would like to profess. Money talks louder. Auburn actually proved that several years ago. Personally, I like that all the games are now on campus. It's a much better atmosphere. But way back when, when Auburn first started talking about moving the Bama-Ala Poly game to Auburn on their home-team years, my first complaint was that the students would suffer, because at that time, every student at Alabama or Auburn always was guaranteed a ticket every year. Now, they only get a ticket every other year (unless they pay serious money like the rest of us). Of course, Legion Field has long since outlived its usefulness as a major college football venue. But back in the day, the last people Auburn thought about when making this move were its students.

 

[alagator]

But they are paying tuition. I'm having a hard time feeling sorry about lost revenue.

The tuition argument is the biggest non sequitor anyone could make.

Tuition is paid to the University in exchange for the formal classroom education received by the students. They are receiving the full value of that service.

It is intellectually dishonest to argue that students are entitled to football tickets because they pay tuition or that the payment of tuition is somehow the equivalent of Tide Pride fees.

If you somehow believe the two are equivalent, then anyone who pays Tide Pride fees is entitled to free tuition for a formal classroom education in exchange.

If students want more tickets, then FIRST use completely the ones already provided. This sense of entitlement is really growing tiresome.

 

[UAgrad93]

That was a well done piece. I said something along those similar lines following Homecoming.

 

[JacobGibson05]

But they are paying tuition. I'm having a hard time feeling sorry about lost revenue.

The tuition argument is the biggest non sequitor anyone could make.

Tuition is paid to the University in exchange for the formal classroom education received by the students. They are receiving the full value of that service.

It is intellectually dishonest to argue that students are entitled to football tickets because they pay tuition or that the payment of tuition is somehow the equivalent of Tide Pride fees.

If you somehow believe the two are equivalent, then anyone who pays Tide Pride fees is entitled to free tuition for a formal classroom education in exchange.

If students want more tickets, then FIRST use completely the ones already provided. This sense of entitlement is really growing tiresome.

Part of our Tuition DOES go to sports.

http://studentreceivables.ua.edu/Student_Eligibility_Athletic_Events.html

If you dont take atleast 5 hours you have to pay $228.00 per semester to be able to get sports tickets....

 

[reger60]

Hey, I've been upgraded from a liar to being "intellectually dishonest". Awesome!

 

[Guest]

Student get enrollment and schooling for the tuition they pay. That is what they are paying for.

There is nothing stopping them from joining the TidePride program just the same as the others. If you want car, buy a car. If you want hamburger, buy a burger. If you want an degree, pay tuition. If you want tickets, join TidePride.

The football program does not live or die on Joe Student's activity fees. The program does not NEED them, but it does the right thing and recognizing that they are the current classes, joining all the other classes that are also there. Its a nice thing for the others to help buy tickets for the current student (which is essentially what is happening). It is an insult to the others that they dismiss the gesture and then whine like spoiled children after they are not bowed to when they demand more.

When they stop becoming the weak link in the chain, then perhaps sympathy will start going their way. Until then, the end of the line is back there Junior.

 

[BamaHeat]

I didn't read the story - about to leave for work.

I say, hold the tickets at the gate. Show student ID and pay student price up until 30 minutes before game. Then sell remaining to anyone.

If a student vacates a seat prior to 2nd half beginning, give that seat away for free.

 

[alagator]

Part of our Tuition DOES go to sports.

http://studentreceivables.UA.edu/Student_Eligibility_Athletic_Events.html

If you dont take atleast 5 hours you have to pay $228.00 per semester to be able to get sports tickets....

The link you provided does not support the conclusion you asserted.

The link outlines the provisions that ALLOWS one to purchase tickets at the discounted student rate. Nowhere in your offer does it assert the position that 'part of (your) tuition DOES go to sports.' And certainly not to the football program.

Now, part of your tuition via this particular fee may go to intercollegiate sports, and football in particular, but thus far you have not demonstrated such with the information in that link. More than likely any student FEES that do go to sports programs go to club or intramural sports. But I could be wrong.

This does nothing to support the position that students as a whole or individually are entitled to unlimited tickets up to the total number of students. Nor refute the assertion that if students want MORE tickets they should completely use the allotment already provided.

I would argue that all the wailing and moaning by students to make it easier to GET tickets has resulted in it becoming easier to not use them at times. There exist ample technology to track and correct such non use issues - resulting in such tickets being made available for that and future games.

 

[rtauburnsucks]

I realize that I dont have the resources that the article has, but I dont really recall ever seeing only 75% of the student section being full. To take away student tickets to me is kinda wrong. I realize that the University is losing potential money by giving the students a "break" in the price.....but seriously, the Atletic department made profit of something crazy like 30 million last year. How bad are they hurting if we can expand the stadium, pay a coach 32 million, and think about making another expansion?


Also, who ever said that tuition does not go to university sports is correct. Tuition pays for school, not sports. Im not really sure where the money for the Rec center comes from. I know that when you are a student, fees are added into tuition. Im guessing that the Rec center is separate from varsity sports.

 

[reger60]

I realize that I dont have the resources that the article has, but I dont really recall ever seeing only 75% of the student section being full. To take away student tickets to me is kinda wrong. I realize that the University is losing potential money by giving the students a "break" in the price.....but seriously, the Atletic department made profit of something crazy like 30 million last year. How bad are they hurting if we can expand the stadium, pay a coach 32 million, and think about making another expansion?


Also, who ever said that tuition does not go to university sports is correct. Tuition pays for school, not sports. Im not really sure where the money for the Rec center comes from. I know that when you are a student, fees are added into tuition. Im guessing that the Rec center is separate from varsity sports.

Then i stand corrected. My reply was spawned out of ignorance, not out of any intention to deceive.

 

[MDBtrumpet04]

The problem I believe is the new system they have in place now. There are no more paper tickets for students anymore; its all on the student ID. If the student is not able to go, they have the hassle of selling the ticket then either A) getting the student they sold to their student CWID to transfer the ticket to their account or B) upgrading the ticket to a guest ticket requiring them to go to the ticket office to get the upgrade. For a student that is taking 16 hours, that's a nuissance.

I say they should go back to paper tickets to make the process of ticket exchange a lot easier.

 

[RussB]

My God why do we have this discussion every week. There several obvious reasons for this. First of all, the problem isn't demand, they are only offering 48% of students tickets from the get go. Furthermore, I would tend to agree that scalpers, and perhaps block seating, are the culprits. However, I'm not going to get in another shouting match about it, no one is going to change the way they feel.

 

[rtauburnsucks]

The block seating in the student section sucks. I think that if a greek organization or student organization cant fill up their seats every game....they should lose them. I hate it when that section of the student section shows up for the first half and leaves at the start of the second half.

 

[alagator]

The block seating in the student section sucks. I think that if a greek organization or student organization cant fill up their seats every game....they should lose them. I hate it when that section of the student section shows up for the first half and leaves at the start of the second half.

You and MDB back up my contention that the students wailing to make it easier for them to get tickets has contributed to the use problem.

For Greek or other block seating - issue paper tickets that are bar coded. The University will know exactly how many tickets were issued to this block and by scanning all student tickets at the gate will know how many of that allocation were used. If 100 were issued but only 85 were used, the group only gets 85 next time. If all 85 were used next one-two-or-three times then MAYBE the group could get more tickets. (This would also allow for the possibility one-or-five members of the group learn on Saturday morning they cannot go and either give or sell the tickets to a student in or out of the group to ensure that the ticket is used to protect the groups allocation in the future.)

Yes, this is definitely low-tech, or less high-tech than a full computerized system, and maybe more of a hassle for the students on the front end. But it is apparently much more flexible and accommodating than the current system.

When I was a grad student at Florida, our MBA program participated in the block system there.

The system operated that each individual student had to purchase a season ticket package at the beginning of the year. The group had to designate one person to be in-charge of football tickets and that person had to collect the season-ticket-receipt each game-week from everyone in the group that wanted to sit in the MBA block for that game. This person had to present the assembled packed of receipts to the ticket office by a certain date to collect the tickets - and then distribute them to the group members.

One other thing. The tickets were for a unique numbered seat - none of the festival seating.

A pain yes - especially to the person in charge (who was fantastic in that type role and is the first person I hired into our firm when I became a partner). But it worked. For the group members and for the University. Have no idea how they do things now - probably more high-tech took as 'paper' is such old school.