A new policy regarding ticket distribution for Ducks sporting events is being kicked around by the ASUO Senate, one that has less to do with waiting in line and more about logging in on time. Each Monday preceding a home football game, several thousands of students wait for hours in line, with no intention of attending morning classes, hoping instead to claim a ticket to Saturday’s game.
This problem has been acknowledged for years, but finally the Student Senate seems to be working toward a solution. The Senate is considering no longer distributing tickets from the EMU and Autzen Stadium ticket offices, but online, from GoDucks.com.
Sen. Kyle McKenzie’s plan includes staggering the release of tickets, with availability being made to students in order of seniority. Distribution would begin with graduate students, law students and fifth-year seniors and end with freshmen. Under McKenzie’s plan at least 20 percent of total tickets would be available for freshmen.
Still, this figure seems low. Freshmen as a group are unquestionably the most excited about attending Oregon football games, so it only seems fair that the number of tickets made available to them should be more than 20 percent. But these figures are mere estimates, and if the Senate moves forward on the electronic plan such specifics could be hammered out at a later date.
Another area of dispute centers around the possibility of a $1 transfer fee, which may apply to students who get a ticket but transfer it to someone else. Making students pay even a small amount to transfer tickets will only ensure there will be empty seats in Autzen; they shouldn’t have to pay to do the responsible thing and transfer their ticket if they can’t attend a game.
But it also follows that a student who misses two games without transferring their ticket should be punished, and the proposal calls for students who do to be banned from attending the next home game. Giving students motivation to transfer a ticket that otherwise would go unused helps students who were too late to get a ticket, and is a good addition to ticket distribution rules.
Though no decision has been reached, the move to an electronic ticketing system would be long overdue, and welcomed throughout the University community. The hope is that with a system allowing students to purchase tickets online, no longer will they have to fall behind in school to ensure a seat at Saturday’s game. Tonight the Senate will vote whether to include the plan in the Athletic Department Finance Committee’s 2008-09 budget. It’s clear there are many nuances to such a large procedural overhaul. But for that there’s still time, given the Senate votes to go ahead with the plan.