Starting tomorrow, Badger football fans will be presented with a choice. The student ticket exchange policy will change so student fans must either turn in all tickets a week before classes start in the fall, or will have to exchange ticket vouchers at the Camp Randall gate at game time. Unfortunately, both these supposed solutions seek to change a non-existent problem and would likely only exacerbate current imperfections in the system.
The very fact that the Athletic Department is seeking to change the student season ticket system shows a misperception of the issue itself.
The chancellor's office and the Madison Police Department worry students are skipping classes and are putting themselves in danger by camping out for days before the turn-in date. Unfortunately, neither new option solves these problems. If we were forced to exchange our vouchers at once, students would camp out for weeks or even months in the hopes of securing prime seating for the duration of the season. If you missed out once, you would miss out for the entire season.
Some might argue that this system works well for hockey and basketball tickets. However, with a ticket base nearly triple these other sports, the prospect of thousands of students waiting in line for weeks would present an impossible scenario for the police department. No matter when the exchange occurred, students would either skip a massive number of classes or would be forced to terminate their summer employment early.
The option of turning in our vouchers at Camp Randall on game day presents just as many issues. Effectively, this is changing the turn-in location and time to Saturday at Camp Randall. People will still sleep out, people will still skip class and trying to enforce proper line etiquette will still be virtually impossible.
Additionally, students would not be able to save seats for friends and family from out of town. Those wishing to tailgate responsibly before the game would be unable to do so, as they would be too busy waiting in line.
Put simply, our current ticket exchange system is not perfect. However, considering the tenacity of Badger football fans, this may be the most orderly system.
These are two options that are worse than the current system, and you will be forced to choose between them. If you are unsatisfied with this choice, the Athletic Department at 608-262-1440. The only way these changes will not go through is if you raise your voice.
