It’s the hottest seat in town, but some ticket-holding students stay home.
Students’ men’s basketball tickets are sold out until the Dec. 22 game against Citadel, but the top student section rows have been empty for every home game, which has students questioning how UNM distributes free student tickets.
“It could be a lot better,” student Erick Ford said. “UNM could save some tickets to give out on game day. Students know it is sold out, and they give up trying to go even though there are seats to be had.”
For home games, UNM distributes 1,650 free student tickets on the north side of The Pit.
Kim Goodson, UNM Ticket Services business manager, said The Pit does not lose money on empty seats because student fees pay for the tickets before the season starts. She said there are no plans to change the distribution policy, even though the student section has empty seats.
“We have no control over how many students go to the game,” Goodson said.
The ticket office does not keep figures of student attendance.
Sports Information Director Frank Mercogliano said the Athletics Department will work with student governments to ensure tickets are being used, but he did not offer details.
“We are constantly looking at methods to ensure that those tickets are being used,” he said.
To make it easier for students, tickets are handed out for five games at a time. Students gobbled up tickets for the first five games in less than two days, a ticket office representative said.
Dec. 6 is the next ticket distribution date, but ticketless students will have to wait until 2011 to watch a game. The next five available games are scheduled on select dates from Jan. 6-29. The Lobos play Cal State Bakersfield, Colorado State, San Diego State, TCU and BYU during that period.
Early in the semester, student Roberto Gallegos said he waited 15-20
minutes to get tickets to the first five regular-season games. He sat near the top of the student section during Sunday’s home game against San Diego with 18 empty rows in front of him.
“I have a feeling a lot of kids are out of town or forgot there was a basketball game,” he said. “I don’t know how UNM should give out tickets. Maybe students shouldn’t get tickets if they don’t plan to come to the game.”
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Student John Terrazas, who couldn’t attend games because tickets were sold out, said he arrives a half hour early to each game in order to sit three rows from the court. He said he has since bought season tickets to avoid missing games.
“I know two friends who couldn’t go to the ticket office because they were in class,” Terrazas said. “When they got out and tried to get tickets, it was sold out. If they let us get them at the entrance, more people would come.”
