Students camping out for Carolina basketball tickets braved the cold Friday night as Campout began. Participants were guaranteed tickets to the game if they met the appropriate requirements.
Tents filled the Jeter Bay parking lot and lined the mulch-side of Dunn Avenue. The return to Reynolds was a result of word-of-mouth to move it, according to Arialle Crabtree, the senator in charge of Campout. Student Government looked into the history of Reynolds and its importance to both the school and the basketball program.
Ethan Dellinger, a junior in political science, said he wished the Campout was held on Miller Fields.
“I hate it; it’s too crowded and I wish it was on the intramural fields. This strip is too cramped and there isn’t a lot of room to have fun and play some football and pick-up games,” he said.
Crabtree said managers of Miller Fields would have issues with holding Campout on Miller Fields.
“The main issue is the tents have to go on the grass, and the administration of Miller Fields have an issue with campsites being on the grass and messing it up. It’s not to say it’s impossible but at this point it would be hard to arrange,” she said.
Bennet Rouse, a junior in chemical engineering, said the Campout was much more fun in the current location.
“There were places to warm up, grab some pizza, and overall I had a lot of fun,” he said.
In coordination with UAB and Campus Recreation, Student Government had many options for entertainment. UAB had a viewing of “The Hangover” on the lawn outside Talley, as well as Papa John’s pizza and Krispy Kreme. The group Alternate Spring Break took donations as they provided campers with hot chocolate and other snacks.
Taylor Edmonds, a sophomore in environmental science, said she liked having Campout by Reynolds because of the increase in food options.
“Last year all we had was the Bragaw C-Store so this year it’s much better with pizza and hot chocolate and chips and other stuff,” she said.
Student Body President Jim Ceresnak said this year’s Campout was much improved from past years.
“I would like to give a lot of thanks to UAB, and Campus Recreation, for their help in putting this all together. We have a lot of activities including movies and various games for campers to take part in, and the atmosphere has picked up from these additions. It is very helpful Talley is open, and with everything that is going on I think campers are having fun, and have options to avoid the cold a little,” he said.
Campers who successfully met the requirements receive tickets to the Carolina game. 80 percent of the student tickets available are given out at Campout. The other 20 percent are awarded through the traditional lottery.
The process for getting tickets to the Carolina game was complicated, according to Crabtree, but it breaks down into different averages of points.
“Groups that register for Campout get loyalty points, and a system was created to average group points. The next step assigns points based on how many check-ins individuals make and their group makes which equals into total points. That final number equals how good the seats are,” she said.
Student Government does not know how many groups are eligible yet, but 80 percent of tickets are allotted and if all those tickets are not used then they’ll go back into the lottery for the non-campers.
This year’s Campout was also the first year of the “Ugliest Carolina Fan” contest. On a memo from Student Government’s Web site, Crabtree said the competition would award the student who best dressed as a Carolina fan and raised the most money with a $25 gift certificate to the Bookstore. All proceeds from the competition will be donated to the Kay Yow Memorial Project.
The winner of the contest, Chris Pope, dressed as Dean Smith and collected $14. He dressed in “traditional Carolina ware” and carried wine and cheese.
