New ticketing system brings positive change

To the Editor:

In the September 25th edition of the Statesman, there was an article entitled “Students critical of new USU ticket system.” I am responding in defense of the ticket system for the significant population of Utah State University students who support it.

There are undoubtedly minor inconveniences associated with the new ticketing system, but it is hard to imagine how it could be less convenient than waiting in line for hours or even overnight in order to gain admittance to a game, particularly for games held on weeknights. It seems that many students who are against the ticket system have a short memory when it comes to recalling several games in the last two or three years when gate staff began turning students away 20 minutes before the game because there was no room, or when USU/SA (formerly ASUSU) was trying all sorts of gimmicks with wristbands and camping check-ins to prevent utter chaos in line. Many USU students hold jobs or have other obligations rendering them unable to devote hours or even an entire day to waiting around just to get seats, regardless of the level of Aggie fan-dom they aspire to. Was the previous system fair to those students who paid the same student body fees as everyone else, yet were essentially barred from being able to attend the more high profile games because they got off work only an hour or two before kickoff or because their child couldn’t wait in line for five hours? Or would the writer of the article prefer refunding some portion of the athletics fee to those students?

I also noted that the author cited an “unofficial poll” showing that 88 percent of students polled were in favor of totally eliminating the new system. I question the methodology of that poll. Who was surveyed? How many were surveyed? Students who happen to pass by the Statesman office in the Taggart Student Center on a regular basis? Students on the west side of campus? Students who live on-campus? What about students who spend most of their time in the music building? What about graduate students who rarely have business in the TSC? What about students who live off-campus? If I understand correctly, one of the main reasons the new system was implemented was student input via a mass survey given to students by the University (a survey I completed). This does not seem to correlate well with the numbers given by the author. I suspect that the statistic cited does not represent the total population of USU students, and is therefore biased.

While there are certainly kinks associated with the new system, including poor seating enforcement on the lower rows, lackluster tailgating and the inability of students to coordinate effectively with friends, the new system is much better than the old. In contrast to the old system, it allows the vast majority of students who wish to attend the games, including those with obligations besides class and social life, to get tickets at any time that is convenient for them during the week. It isn’t even hard to get seats close to the front, as 6:30 Monday morning only sees around 100 students or less waiting at the TSC entrance. Anyone showing up sometime Monday morning is likely to get pretty good seats. In addition, there always seem to be a few hundred tickets left by the time ticketing closes, for those indecisive students who end up in the standby line. In a situation where there is high demand and limited seating available, yet everyone has to pay fees regardless of attendance, the new system, though imperfect, is far more effective and equitable in allowing all students who wish to attend games to do so.

— Joe Furse