Citing swiftly moving lines, a minimum of hassle and a more focused and responsive audience, the Athletic Department does not hesitate to label the new football ticket distribution process a success.
\We thought it was incredibly successful,"" said Steve Malchow, associate athletic director of communications. ""We got students into the game efficiently, safely. No one had to miss class, which was positive. No city ordinances were broken in terms of the camping out ... I'd say we achieved [success] on all fronts.""
In contrast to the old distribution system, in which some of the more enthusiastic students would camp out in front of the Kohl Center for several days to exchange their vouchers for tickets, the new process implements an exchange at Camp Randall Stadium on the game day. Students are only permitted to wait in line for one day before the event.
The Athletic Department brainstormed the system last year after the Chancellor's Office noted students were missing class to camp out for the tickets. Additionally, campus camping ordinances were routinely violated, and a ""black market"" had developed for the acquisition of spots in line, according to Malchow.
""The Chancellor's Office challenged our department to find more efficient ways to distribute tickets and get students into the games,"" he noted.
Despite concerns students would camp out anyway, Malchow noted only three people were camping out at midnight, and eight at 7 a.m. The line reached its peak around 9:30 a.m., but once the gates opened, the majority of students were through within 15 minutes.
""We thought it went really well. We've heard no complaints. We were very pleased, and students seemed to be pleased-at least from the feedback we've received,"" he said. ""As an addition to that, although it was not one of our stated goals, I thought it was quite telling that when Coach Alvarez came to the news conference, he saluted the changed atmosphere in the student section.""
Students seemed equally pleased with the new distribution process.
Initially fearing long lines, UW-Madison junior Sean Sobel said he was skeptical. But, he said he was pleasantly surprised when he made it into the stadium faster than expected.
However, students also noted several flaws in the process. For example, some students were unable to get tickets enabling them to sit together, which caused clogged aisles and minor quarrels over seating, Sobel and others reported.
Several fans also reported problems with knowing what seats they wanted. Last year, students getting tickets mid-week knew which sections were most occupied, and could thus avoid them.
""I think it's going OK so far, but I kind of liked the other system better,"" said UW-Madison sophomore Scott Pedersen, who shared similar sentiments.
