University of Virginia Library

The Fiasco

The 1971-71 basketball season got off to
an inauspicious start Tuesday, at least as far as
students are concerned. The Athletic
Department's new reserved seat policy proved
to be an utter failure as the 3,800 tickets
alloted to the student body were snatched up
by ID bearing hoop fans. Irate students, some
of whom had waited more than three hours
for their tickets only to be shut out at the
window, stormed home to pass the incredible
news that the tickets had been distributed in
little more than an hour.

The intensity of the student reaction is
understandable. Lefty Driesell's Maryland team
features former Sports Illustrated cover-boy
Tom McMillen and has been picked to take
the ACC crown. Like the Cavalier and Terp
teams, students view next week's contest as a
must game. The demand for tickets was
predictable but few could foresee its size.

According to turnstile records at
University Hall, no more than 2,800 people
sat in the student section during last year's
sell-out games. The switch to reserved seats
was designed to enable 1,000 more student to
see this year's contests. And, acting in good
faith, the Athletic Department and the
Athletic Advisory Committee decided to
distribute the 3,800 student tickets well before
the day of the games so that students who
wanted to attend would not have to enter
U-Hall 60 or 90 minutes before game time.

Admittedly, the new policy was meant to
better convenience the students. It didn't.
Instead of having to wait two hours watching
the freshman game in order to get good seats
for the varsity contest, students had to stand
in line for three to six hours just to get
tickets. And even then many of them were
turned away empty-handed. The unexpected
rush came from couriers at the front of the
line who claimed as many as 90 tickets at one
time, having collected ID cards from
fraternity brothers, dormmates and friends.
(Rumors circulated that one student had
taken 360 ducats for his group; it was later
denied by the Athletic Department). The
3,800 tickets expected to meet any possible
demand was not nearly enough.

The Athletic Advisory Committee, which
includes three students, will meet this
morning to decide what changes should be
made for future home games and what, if
anything, to do for those who failed to get
tickets.

On the latter, students have suggested a
wide range of plans. The Athletic Department
could turn over all remaining seats in the
general admission section to students, on
single-ticket basis, but that would not answer
the demand. While better than nothing,
neither would the idea of having the game
televised, for students deserve the live show.
The ACLU has threatened a law suit on behalf
of students who could not get tickets, but
University officials claim there has never been
a guarantee that any individual student could
get a seat for a particular game. Thus
frustrated, students could turn to one plan
which suggested kidnapping Barry Parkhill
and demanding open admission for all
students.

For future games, if the Athletic
Department wants to stick to the same basic
plan, it must limit the number of tickets
which any individual can claim. While large
groups which want to sit together will be
disappointed, that must be past of any
equitable solution to the problem.

Also, tickets should be made available well
before the remaining games, and if the
demand is as large as the one Tuesday, the
general admission section should be given to
students. While such a policy may cost the
Athletic Department some $1,500 each game,
it should be willing to serve the growing
student body which supports athletics at the
University with about $75,000 of the
mandatory comprehensive fee. If the figures
cited by University Hall are valid, 4,300
student seats should meet the needs of the
student body for at least all but one of the
remaining games.

In order to avoid a mob scene at the
University Hall ticket office, separate
distribution points should be set up around
the Grounds. Not only should this reduce the
waiting time for tickets, but it would give
those who cannot spend two hours in line at
University Hall a chance to see at least a few
games during this hopefully successful season.

Finally, speculation has been raised about
the likelihood that students who received
tickets and do not plan to use them might try
to sell them to others. The Judiciary
Committee made scalping an offense about
three years ago after a number of former
Cavalier basketball players were arrested for
selling tickets for the ACC tournament. The
Judiciary Committee and all students should
look unfavorably on any who try to make a
profit from the ticket shortage while
depriving other students. Tickets which will
not be used either should be given to another
student or turned into the ticket office so
those who want to see the games can do so.