Students requested a record number of tickets for this Saturday’s basketball game against UNC-Chapel Hill, and almost half of them won’t be attending.
Exactly 7,134 N.C. State students signed up to attend the UNC game, a record since the ticket office went online. Due to the high demand for tickets, more than 3,000 did not receive them, according to Associate Athletics Director for External Operations Dick Christy. However, students had the opportunity to guarantee their spot in PNC Arena this weekend through the revamped ticketing points system.
A big change in the system is the emphasis on seniority. Seniors start out with nine points, meaning there is a two point gap between them and juniors, as opposed to the previous margin of one point. Another big change was moving the ticket campout to the offseason and giving attendees an extra six points. This also means freshman, who had three initial points, would be on the same level as seniors if they attended the campout.
Of the students who requested tickets, 25 percent were given one because they compiled 19 points during the season.
“Students have had all season to add to the point total,” Christy said. “If you went to the campout and went to a lot of games you’re pretty much guaranteed a ticket.”
While the new ticketing system is generally considered to be an improvement, there are still some complaints from the student body. Brendan Lukasik, a senior in mechanical engineering, thinks the system should favor upperclassmen even more.
“Upperclassmen have dedicated a lot of time, money and effort during their undergraduate or even graduate careers, and I think that should be rewarded,” Lukasik said. “Seniors, especially those in more demanding majors, need to be dedicating more of their time to academics, work and preparation for life upon graduation. I don’t feel like seniors should have to sacrifice other important parts of their academics or other commitments in order to be at a game, such as the UNC game.”
Lukasik thinks the loyalty system is “about as fair as student ticket distribution can be,” and that students who attend a lot of games should be rewarded for their participation. However, he said there is room for “improvement and change in order to address student concerns.”
