AUBURN, ALA (EETV)- Auburn University SGA President Jacqueline Keck and SGA Athletic's announce their new ticketing policy through a letter written to all students.
Auburn Students,
Last year, the Student Government Association worked with Athletics to implement football student ticketing changes after gathering years of feedback and concerns about the student section from students. We were excited about the positive effects of last year’s changes, including all freshmen being able to get tickets for the first time, but we knew there were more enhancements needed. We’ve heard your feedback and have been working since last fall to enhance the student game day experience by advocating to Athletics on your behalf. We had three main priorities in our requests to Athletics:
1. Filling the student section every week while maintaining students’ safety
2. Creating a “ticket pool” that ensures tickets are in the hands of students that want to attend each game
3. Simplifying the process to get a guest ticket and making the price consistent and affordable
Below is a brief summary of some of the changes that have been made with our priorities in mind. A detailed fact sheet about all changes for the 2017 football season can be found here:
Creation of a Ticket Pool and Removal of Student-to-Student Ticket Transfer
With the creation of a ticket pool, students will no longer transfer their ticket directly to another student. This makes it easier for students wanting to attend to access tickets without using secondary markets where they must pay exorbitant prices. Instead, to avoid receiving penalty points, unwanted tickets will be returned to the ticket pool. Students without a ticket to a game may request one from the pool at any point during the season. The pool will immediately redistribute returned tickets to students that have requested one on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Guest Tickets
A minimum of 250 guest tickets per game will be distributed in a lottery before the season begins. Students may request one guest ticket for any game(s) when they place their student ticket order. Students will be notified if they received a guest ticket by August 23, 2017. After the initial lottery, guest tickets may be requested on a game-by-game basis the week of a game. Students may request a guest ticket beginning at noon on Sunday and ending at 9 a.m. on Thursday the week of the game. Guest tickets will be distributed based on how many tickets are in the ticket pool, but students without a student ticket will always receive priority. All guest tickets will cost $20, except Georgia and Alabama which will cost $30, which must be paid online with a credit card. These tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis and can be printed at home, so there will be no pick-up necessary from the Athletics Ticket Office. Guests will still have to enter the game through Gate 6 with the Auburn student who purchased the guest ticket.
Penalty Points
We want a full student section, so penalty points must be implemented to hold students accountable to attending games or to returning their ticket so that student section tickets do not go unused.
Breakdown of penalty points:
No penalty - If a student returns their unwanted ticket to the ticket pool by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday night prior to the game
1 point - If a student returns their ticket by 5 p.m. on Friday prior to the game
2 points - If a student does not return their ticket before 5 p.m. on Friday and does not attend the game, arriving before the beginning of the 2nd quarter
If a student acquires 4 or more penalty points, they are no longer eligible for post-season tickets (bowl and championship games) during the current year and they will drop in student football ticketing priority below first-year students the following season.
Policies Remaining in 2017:
1. Checking IDs
Ignited Card IDs will still be checked upon entry to ensure the identity of the ticket holder and to ensure the student section is filled with tuition-paying Auburn students. Students should always carry a second form of ID as well.
2. First-Year Ticket Packages
No full season packages will be available to first-year students. Two six-game packages, one four-game package, and one three-game package will be available, allowing more first-year students to attend SEC games. First-year students will be able to request a ticket from the ticket pool for any game they do not have in their ticket package.
I am excited for the fall and genuinely think that the changes being made will benefit us by simplifying the ticketing process – enhancing our game day experience. If you have any questions or feedback for us, please use AuburnAnswers, which serves as our official student feedback system, or email me directly at sga@auburn.edu.
There’s nothing better than being your student body president, so please don’t hesitate to communicate any concerns you have. I’m here for you and want Auburn to be the best it can be!
War Eagle,
Jacqueline Keck
