Financial pressures are forcing the ASUO Senate to consider no longer purchasing student tickets to University sporting events next year. Though most senators said Wednesday they oppose eliminating free student tickets, several admitted they might be forced to consider at least decreasing the number of tickets distributed or axing some games altogether.
The ASUO pays the athletic department roughly $1.4 million to allow students to attend all home football and basketball games for free. However, constraints facing the ASUO’s budget committees have forced student representatives to weigh the value of athletics tickets against that of contracts that provide students with bus rides and other services.
The discussion began when members of the budget committee that administers the ticket purchases asked senators for their suggestions. Sen. Cassandra Gray then asked her colleagues what they thought of “moving this completely off of the contract for the ASUO,” which she said would be fair to students who have no interest in attending Ducks games.
“I really think that opening it to the market, the free market, is a better idea and one that might help us get out of this tricky situation,” she said.
Several senators responded to Gray’s question by suggesting other ways in which expenses on tickets could be cut.
As a compromise, Gray advocated eliminating tickets for football games played before the start of the undergraduate fall term. This fall, the football team played three home games before the beginning of the term. Sen. Sanford Weintraub said he thought the proposal was fair, even though he represents the School of Law, whose term begins before the football season. Another proposal was to simply reduce the number of tickets distributed for each game. Sen. Tina Snodgrass also suggested any reduction in ticket allotments should target the men’s basketball team.
“(The) basketball team’s not looking so hot this year. Maybe there will be less interest for next year,” Snodgrass said.
This is the first year athletics tickets have had to be balanced with other contracts in the ASUO’s budget. The change is a result of a restructure in the budget committees made after a special election that amended the ASUO Constitution last year.
Sen. Derek Nix said the entire campus would have to tighten belts for the coming year.
“If the University’s going to be in crunch mode, we need to be in crunch mode as well,” Nix said.
[email protected]