Last year I wrote an abrasive column about why I thought waiting in line for four hours for a football ticket was a waste of time.
It wasn’t the most subtle or modestly written column but I still stand by my belief. The biggest problem with the column, however, was how I failed to mention the single most important reason for the futility of waiting in line for hours: You miss class.
That idea dawned on me after the piece was published but it was magnified Monday morning as hundreds of freshmen helped the ticket lines swell to enormous levels.
Monday was officially their first day as University students and many of them, rather than proceeding to the first classes of their collegiate careers, chose to wait in line for this weekend’s game against No. 6 Cal.
I can’t criticize them for their decision because if I were in their place, I might have done the same thing. But in the continuing battle between academics versus athletics, the scale remains in favor of athletics.
I can imagine how many professors were furious to see how many empty seats there were for the first day of classes because it was ticket-distribution day. Not just eager freshmen, but the rest of the student body as well.
Of course, many classes’ first days involve going over the syllabus, but there are some classes that require attendance.
Unfortunately, one of my friends found that out the hard way. She attended the first 15 minutes of class but once the professor began to droll on about the challenges of the class, something my friend had already been prepped on from others, she decided her time would be better spent waiting in line for a ticket.
It’s too bad attendance was taken at the end of class.
Although she regretted the decision after finding out she was dropped, I’m sure some students made that decision willingly Monday given the magnitude of Saturday’s game. Both teams are 4-0 and ESPN GameDay is coming; students probably won’t ever go to another college game that’s as hyped up or important as this one so I can understand why they are willing to waste their Monday in line.
The problem is, however, that all that waiting is almost completely unnecessary. It’s an imperfect system that requires patience and usually some lengthy time commitment, but the camping out, the missing class and the constant cutting in line can be avoided if those of you reading this will follow my knowledge and advice of the ticketing system:
? For home football games, when there are usually 5,670 student tickets handed out (4,770 for Washington State and Arizona State), it is virtually impossible to hand out all of those tickets before 2 p.m. If you have class Monday morning, don’t skip it because there will still be tickets available once you get out. Just hope the line dwindles as the day progresses.
? Don’t listen to people saying that you need to camp out or get in line early because it’s the USC game or the Civil War – they still distribute the same number of tickets and they can’t hand them out any quicker than usual, especially since the new electronic system seems to take longer.
? If the EMU line starts approaching the LLC, I’d recommend hopping on your bike and pedaling quickly to the ticket office at Autzen. There they have up to six windows distributing tickets and it’s line tends to move faster. I’ve heard stories about people physically enforcing the no-cutting rule as well.
Or don’t listen to me. I know some people like the struggle and bonding experience while waiting with their friends in line – just don’t let your first academic term suffer as a result.
Disclaimer: None of these rules apply to basketball tickets. Those sell out quickly.
With tickets, cutting class really isn’t worth the wait
Daily Emerald
September 26, 2007
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