Friday evening, April 16, six students were turned away from the baseball game against Virginia Tech, despite the fact that it was the seventh inning, after 9 p.m. and swarms of people, including students, were leaving the game.
Although the athletic department has done its part to warn students that baseball games are increasingly reaching the 4,219 person capacity of Davenport Field, the system is nevertheless flawed and frustrating to students.
We were told by ticketing officials Friday that we could not enter the game because Davenport was at capacity. Although we understand that they were merely doing their job, it is unacceptable that we were denied entry into the game as hordes of students were leaving. After asking to speak to the ticket managers, we were told that once the stadium is at capacity, no additional students are allowed in, regardless of the number of people that leave. We were told that to guarantee entry, we must arrive two hours before the first pitch.
Considering the average game runs three hours, this would mean a five hour time commitment. Only naturally, students have a tendency to leave before the game is over, as evidenced by what we witnessed Friday. Therefore, it seems ridiculous that six students wishing to root on their team when they needed it the most are unable to do so. After counting more than six students leaving, we again asked if we could gain admission, and were again told that Davenport was still at capacity. This makes little sense.
The root of our argument lies in the fact that the maximum number of fans, especially students, are unable to root on the Wahoos as a result of the current ticket policy. With a capacity of 4,219 people, only 500 student tickets are allotted. This means that the student body, which pays $650 to athletics through tuition and fees, makes up only 12 percent of the fan base. At football games, which draw a considerably larger non-student fan base, 21 percent of the tickets are allotted to students, nearly twice that of baseball games.
We consider the current policy incredibly unfair to the student body, and we hope that it can be addressed by the athletic department in the near future. It is disconcerting that while there has been considerable effort to increase seating at Davenport, little has been done to appease the students, who should be the most important Wahoo fans. As a result, we hope that the athletic department will work with the students to create an extended "Hoo Zone" for additional fans hoping to cheer on the Wahoos to victory.
Amanda Galloway\nCLAS IV\nKeirstin McCambridge\nCLAS III
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