University of Virginia Library

S.R.O.

The student seating policy for home
basketball games announced recently by the
Department of Athletics serves notice that the
numerical expansion of the University,
already being felt in academic areas, will soon
leave its mark on the athletic picture here.
While we can hardly envision standing-room
only crowds at Scott Stadium, one only need
remember the rejuvenation of the Cavalier
basketball team last year and the resultant
crush at University Hall to see that the future
looks bleak.

As detailed by the athletic department,
the policy for admitting students at home
basketball games is probably the fairest and
most practical which could be devised. While
we agree, in theory, that all students should
be given seats at all home games, the realities
of finances makes it impossible to do so.
Revenues collected from paid attendance is
vital if Virginia's varsity teams are to compete
with other ACC schools, even
non-professional level. And without the
support of paying spectators, the quality of
other athletic programs at the University,
both intramural and individual, will
degenerate even further.

For most home basketball games last year,
the student section was nearly filled more
than 30 minutes before the varsity teams hit
the court for their warm-ups. Since seating
was on a first-come, first-serve basis, students
trying to get into UHall only for the varsity
game had to return home to listen to Chris
Cramer's rendition of the action. To alleviate
this problem, the athletic department has
decided to turn to a reserved seat plan for
students. They will have to pick up their free
tickets well before the game,; everyone will be
given a ticket until the 3,800 student section
is sold out.

Those students who cannot get tickets in
the student section will be given first shot at
the general admission tickets, for which they
will have to pay $3 or $4, depending on the
opponent. Given the Department of Athletics'
monetary needs, this is understandable, but
one alteration in the new plan should be
made. Since students already have donated,
without choice, some funds for athletics at
the University, it would be far more equitable
if those who must buy general admission seats
were given a student discount of at least $1.
The discount would not cost the athletic
department much money and would
recognize that students should not be placed
on the same footing as the general public.

Most insiders admit that the new seating
policy will be in effect for only a few years at
best. If the number of students in school here
continues to grow at the present rate, the
Department of Athletics probably will be
forced to adopt the ticket policy used at
schools like the University of North Carolina,
where each student is allotted a reserved seat
for only half of the home games. Such a
policy will be most unfortunate, especially in
light of the efforts made by Eugene Corrigan,
Director of University Athletic Programs, and
his staff to improve the various athletic
programs at the University. But it appears
that conditions will grow worse. That's
progress.