University of Virginia Library

Ticket Office Arranges
Seating For Games

By TOM BELL

The Department of Athletics,
with recommendations from the
3-3-3 Committee, has announced a
new policy concerning
student-admission to home
basketball games.

Under the new program, all
students will have reserved seats
and will have to pick up tickets to
each game prior to the day of the
contest. There will be no charge for
the tickets to those with valid
student identification cards, as long
as tickets remain in the student
section.

Half of University Hall, about
3,800 seats, will be set aside for
student use, in the same area which
was used for student seating last
winter.

The need for the new plan arose
from the situation last season when
students were forced to go to
University Hall hours before game
time in order to get seats for
important games.

Director of Intercollegiate
Athletics Steve Sebo and Ticket
Manager Larry Stanley feel that the
plan will not only eliminate the
long waits, but will lead to more
efficient use of seats, because all
seats will be reserved, and therefore
cannot be used for coats or other
belongings.

The possibility of some type of
coat-checking service is being
examined.

Under the plan, tickets may be
picked up at University Hall or
another area to be set up in a
location nearer the central Grounds
during a period which would
normally last from about three
weeks before a game until the
tickets in the student section run
out. The tickets will be distributed
on a first-come, first-served basis,
with the best tickets being
distributed first.

Should the tickets in the
student section run out, students
will have the option to buy tickets
in the general admission section
before the seats are released to the
general public. This sale will last
only one day, after which students
may still buy the seats, but in
competition with the public. These
seats will cost $3.00, except for
$4.00 against Maryland, North
Carolina, VPI, Duke, and N.C.
State.

Mr. Stanley explained that the
financial needs of the athletic
program force the athletic
department to sell seats outside the
student half of the stands.

Groups who wish to sit together
at games may send one person with
a number of ID cards to the ticket
office and get adjoining seats
according to Mr. Stanley. However,
it will probably be impossible in
most cases to give students seats in
desired areas because of the limited
staff of the ticket department.

One possible restriction of the
plan is that a limited number of
date tickets may be available,
because of the limited size of the
seating area and the large number
of students. This problem is still
under study by athletic department
officials.

Although there are 11 home
basketball games, there will be only
five necessary ticket pickups. When
home games are grouped together,
the pickup dates will be the same
for more than one game.

According to Mr. Stanley, the
plan is similar to those used at
other Atlantic Coast Conference
schools, except that the
University's plan gives more
opportunity for students to attend
the games than most others.

Ticket pickup for the Maryland
game on December 8 will start on
November 15. Details for specific
games will be announced later.