Student section for sale

*Editor’s Note: This article was updated at 3:20 p.m. on Friday, Sep. 13, to reflect current information.

On Thursday, Sep 5, athletics & campus recreation executive director Dallin Wilson shared there are now cuts to student seating in Maverik Stadium. 

In a statement said to The Utah Statesman and posted to his X account, Wilson wrote, “I am extremely disappointed in the decision of @USUAthletics leadership to take away 1,000 student seats from section 117 and 116 in Maverik Stadium. No students or faculty in student affairs or the student involvement office were consulted or even made aware of this decision. The @usuHURD is a key part of the gameday experience, and to take away seats permanently to profit off of one game shows how much the department values the HURD. I wish the leaders of the athletic department would have come to us to work on a mutually beneficial solution.” 

I am extremely disappointed in the decision of @USUAthletics leadership to take away 1000 student seats from section 117 and 116 in Maverik Stadium. No students or faculty in Student Affairs or the Student Involvement office were consulted or even made aware of this decision. pic.twitter.com/g4muBIvk3H

— Dallin Wilson (@dallinwilsonn) September 6, 2024

Wilson, also the HURD president, said he and other students first noticed there was a change in student seating at the Robert Morris game. 

“A lot of people started to notice that it looked like the student section had shrunk a little bit, and that is true,” Wilson said. “After meeting with the athletics department, we have been able to confirm … a loss of about 1,000 tickets that were reserved for students in a pretty prime location of the field.” 

Students may not be able to attend larger games, such as the upcoming historically well-attended game against University of Utah, without reserving seats. Even if students are given seats left over after sales, they won’t be with the student section, which Wilson said changes their time at the game. At the time of writing, the general tickets to the game are not sold out. 

“It’ll be frustrating to see students turned away,” Wilson said. “Even if they can find seats for them, they won’t be in the student section, which drastically impacts their experience.” 

 Wilson discussed the possibility of getting tickets back. 

JACK LEWIS BURTON

Section 117 at the most recent home game on Aug. 31 at Maverik Stadium.

“I know that, at least in section 116, they started opening those tickets up to be sold, so there’s no way to get those back,” Wilson said. “We were hoping that we could retain all of Section 117 for student tickets, and we’ve been told that that’s not possible for the Utah game, and they’ve made no promises about games after that.”  

Wilson also said that there are rumors the same cuts could happen with student seating in the Spectrum.  

He shared the impact this will have on games.  

“One of the things that makes the HURD unique is the complete wall of students across that entire east sideline,” Wilson said. “So it’s disappointing to see that that will be cut almost in half. I think it’s going to affect the impact that we can have on the game.”  

He shared he was very upset by the lack of communication from the athletics department regarding the change. 

“The biggest thing that’s frustrating to me and to the student leaders is that the athletic department felt like they could make this choice without approaching any student leaders,” Wilson said. “There was no one consulted in student affairs or the student involvement office about these changes. I was never officially told. I saw it with my own eyes on Saturday and had to ask in my standing meeting with athletics.” 

He also shared he thought students will be upset with the cuts. 

“I think students are already very frustrated, and I don’t see it getting any better, especially as we’re approaching the biggest game of the past couple of years,” Wilson said. 

Several students and alumni shared their frustrations on Wilson’s original post, along with The Statesman’s Instagram post and reels on the story. Commenters called for returning the tickets, and praised Wilson for standing up for the student body. Several commenters also pointed out that with the rise in costs of student fees this year (part of which cover student tickets at sporting events) it appeared the tickets were being “sold twice.”

There were even posters hanging up around campus on Monday, advertising the student section for sale and telling viewers to call the athletic department for more information.

Poster taped up by TSC Aggie Shuttle station on Sep. 9.

Monday, Sep. 9, during a press conference, USU football player Wyatt Bowles shared his thoughts on the matter.

“You know, me, personally, I try and stay out of everything going on outside of football like that,” Bowles said. “I have seen what they’re doing with the tickets. And I mean, the only thing I can say is, you know, the USU HURD is a really big part of, you know, this stadium and something that I personally enjoyed quite a bit, so I mean, you know, whatever they can do to get those get those kids in there would be awesome.”

Football head coach Nate Dreiling added his thoughts to Bowles, especially when it comes to the upcoming Utah game.

“I think the HURD is going to be absolutely crazy, like they always are,” Dreiling said. “Last game was obviously my first one here, and these fans… got to on the field before I even got on the field…so whether it’s one person in the HURD, or it’s 20,000, it’s literally the greatest maybe the greatest student section all of college football.”

That night, USU sent out an email to students, explaining the change. In the email, the athletics department wrote, “While the student ticket allotment at football, basketball, and other sports has changed, our approach has not. These adjustments reflect recent historical demand for student tickets at each sport, increasing the student ticket allotments for some sports and decreasing for others to better support student interest and demand. ”

They continued, expressing their belief that the HURD is the greatest student section in the nation and they are grateful students show up to every game. The email added they are “committed to enhancing the student experience and will continue to accommodate students at every game to the fullest extent possible. When there are available seats in our venues, no students will be turned away.”

Email sent to USU students on Sep. 9.

On Friday, Sep 13, USUSA President Matt Richey released a statement in an email to the student body addressing concerns to the ticketing updates. He said he is listening to the frustrations students are feeling. He also said he will continue having constructive discussions between the USUSA and athletics offices that he hopes will mutually benefit both parties. He shared a few new measures athletics have completed to improve the student experience.

“Athletics has shown that they are willing and ready to work with us to enhance the student experience,” Richey wrote. “They have built new seating specifically for the HURD at our women’s soccer field. At a recent volleyball match, they opened up hundreds of tickets for us when we were past our student capacity.”

He asked students to consider several things for the Utah game tomorrow.

He first said students should stop personal attacks against athletics administration members, saying it causes unnecessary tension and isn’t productive to creating solutions. He reminded students that one Principle of Community is respect, regardless of frustration.

Richey requested students show their discontent “by showing up and showing that we have a strong demand for student tickets.” He said that he is working with athletics to find ways to get more students into the game tomorrow. As of this time, all student tickets have been claimed for several days.

He also said that the primary goal of the student section at games “should be supporting our student athletes and giving them the gameday atmosphere they deserve.”

“I won’t ask you to forget your frustrations,” Richey wrote. “I will ask you to remember why you’re frustrated. When we shift to attacks on individual leaders of our university, it’s no longer about the tickets.”

He concluded his message by saying students with concerns or questions should reach out by emailing him, visiting his office, or utilizing MyVoice.

This article will be updated as information becomes available.