News > September 6, 2007

By Liza Greenspun | News editor

A new policy for student football ticket distribution has been implemented this season due to an increased student interest in attending games after last year’s success.

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Students congregate in Shorty’s Sept. 1 to watch the Demon Deacon football team take on the Boston College Eagles. The success of the event is evidence of excitement among students for the season. (Kelly Makepeace/Old Gold & Black)

Students are able to attend football games as a member of Screamin’ Demons, or by reserving tickets online through Student Government at http://sg.wfu.edu.

According to a Student Government statement, this new system has been implemented to ensure that every student who has either a Screamin’ Demon pass or a paper ticket will be guaranteed a seat at the game.

In the past, every student has received an athletic pass that would allow students to enter any football game.

However, due to an overflow of people at games last season, a new system is in place, beginning with the Nebraska game this Sept. 8.

Non-Screamin’ Demon members must now have a paper ticket, as well as their own valid student ID card.

Each Sunday night beginning at 12 a.m., students can reserve their paper tickets online.

However, there are only a limited number of tickets available. While athletic passes have been distributed to all students in the past, SG officials said, the athletic department has never had enough seats for every student to attend the games.

“If each student was guaranteed a seat, then we would have more empty seats than desired in the stadium, which creates a negative game environment both for our school and our team,” SG said in a statement.

Craig Keilitz, associate athletic director of marketing and promotions, agrees with SG officials.

He said they do not want to be in a situation where they provide tickets for all the students who want them for the Nebraska game and then end up with 700 empty seats for Homecoming.

“We expect to sell out every game and to have students show up,” he said.

“We want every game perfectly filled up and we want the students to have great representation.”

This week, the 250 student tickets allotted for non-Screamin’ Demon members were reserved online in only 20 minutes, leading to frustration and confusion among the student body.

As a result of complaints from students, SG met with members of the athletic department to pursue an increase in the number of student tickets.

According to SG officials, 275 additional tickets became available for students for the season.

Online reservations for these tickets became available 12 a.m. Sept. 5.

“We felt great about that so it’s good the way it worked out,” Keilitz said of the increased number of the additional student tickets.

The additional 275 tickets have brought the total number of students to 3,775, a 20 percent increase from last year.

This number of tickets will allow 72 percent of the student body to attend every game, a percentage higher than any other school in the ACC.

Breaking down the numbers, Keilitz said that 2,200 are reserved for Screamin’ Demons, 200 are for the marching band, 750 tickets are for students at the professional schools and 525 are for non-Screamin’ Demon members of the undergraduate student body.

According to senior Candace Curry, Screamin’ Demon Club chair, after two spring sign-ups and two fall sign-ups, Screamin’ Demons has reached its cap and has a waitlist of between 50 and 75 students.

Curry said that Screamin’ Demons is given an allotment of tickets out of the total number of tickets allotted to the undergraduate students on the Reynolda campus.

Because the Screamin’ Demons executive committee knew there would be a limited number of tickets available, they tried its best to have as many people sign up as possible, Curry said.

“We try to maximize the allottment we get but we do not approve the ticketing policy,” she said. “Our goal is to have as many students committed to going to every game as possible.”

Keilitz said he wants students to go to every game in order to avoid a similar situation to the past two basketball seasons, when there have been hundreds of empty seats in the student section as students lost interest in going to the games.

Curry said Screamin’ Demon members will not be permitted to share their passes with anyone who is not a current undergraduate or graduate student at the university.

“Our policy has always been that it must be a student,” she said, “though this year it will be enforced.”

Students may not sign other students up online, nor pick up a ticket for another student.

Those who reserve tickets online must pick up their paper tickets from the Benson Ticket Office by 5 p.m. the Thursday before the game or their tickets will again be made available to students.

Starting Friday morning, those tickets that were not picked up on Thursday will be available to students on a first-come, first-serve basis until 12 p.m.

The total number of tickets allotted to students has increased by 675 compared to last year.

Guest tickets are not available to students.

Screamin’ Demon members, Curry said, must have their valid student ID to be scanned and must be wearing their Screamin’ Demon shirt or they will not be permitted to enter the game.

Non-Screamin’ Demon members, according to SG officials, must also have their student IDs to be scanned upon entrance to the stadium, in addition to their paper ticket.

Students may park in the Green Lot as long as spots are available.

They are asked to carpool with at least three people in a car.

Overflow parking will be available to the first 100 student cars for free in the Senior Services Lot, and for $5 for each additional car in that lot.

Once inside Groves Stadium, Curry said, Screamin’ Demons members will have priority seating.

Screamin’ Demons members will receive wristbands in order to sit in the lower block of student seats at the game.

“Student Government has been really, really fantastic to work with us to put together our policies and procedures,” Keilitz said.

“Their leadership has been tremendous.”

While emphasizing that he wants students to continue to attend every game of the season, Keilitz said, “Students that participate in our sporting events do a better job than any other school in the country. Our percentage of participation and their interaction.

“I wouldn’t change that for anything.”