The last time Bryant Hall saw lines as long as they were on Tuesday was when students were clamoring for Rolling Stones tickets. Instead of passes to see Mick, these students were waiting long hours to receive their student guest tickets to see Vick. In an era where the University has digitized basketball tickets, University Program Council tickets and even parking permits, it's time to shift student guest football tickets online.
The reason an online system hasn't been implemented yet can be summed up in one word: logistics. According to Assistant Director for Athletics Dick Mathias, the athletic department has mulled the online option but never seriously drawn up a plan. Largely it's an issue of how such a procedure would operate. Would it be first come, first serve, or would students be able to enter themselves into a random lottery for the tickets? These are serious questions that now require serious discussion. Many of the same quandaries plagued the online basketball ticketing system, but we are confident that with dedication a similarly solid product will emerge.
One of the first steps in this process is drawing up various options and collecting student opinion on which option they prefer. In this we hope that Student Council's Athletic Affairs Committee can collaborate with the Athletic department to get the ball rolling. While Mathias said that the department would discuss the current system in the offseason, a proactive approach can head off the delays that typically hinder this sort of effort.
It is clear that updating the student guest ticket system is overdue. Bryant Hall, located under Scott Stadium, is hardly the center of Grounds, and ticket sales often occur on weekdays in the middle of classes. Students should never be put in the position of deciding between attending class and acquiring a Tech ticket for their friends; most, after all, will choose the ticket. Any sense of fairness claimed by advocates of the status quo is abdicated by the advantage certain students gain due to a fortuitous schedule. The best defense -- the logistical argument -- no longer holds sway thanks to technology which has shown itself viable across the University.
In the grand scheme, this may seem nitpicky; after all, huge demand for guest tickets only occurs at two or three games a season. However, given the problems the department has had with illegal resale over the years, digitizing the system opens a slew of new options that could potentially work better than honor pledges. It would also nicely set up Bryant Hall to handle popular non-sporting events. Had an online option been available, the Rolling Stones sale would have been far fairer to those out of Charlottesville over the summer.
We don't fault the athletic department for failing to act on online football guest ticketing, but the time to begin is now. In collaboration with student groups, hopefully a system will soon be developed that conveniently and fairly fills Scott Stadium to the brim.
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