The UW Athletic Department released details of new procedures for the sale, distribution and allocation of student season tickets for men's hockey and basketball this morning.
According to an e-mail sent by the department, there will no longer be season ticket ""distribution days"" for men's hockey and basketball, with the Athletic Ticket Office now in charge of allocating all student season tickets for both sports.
The process of students registering groups and then waiting in line for tickets has also been modified. Students will still register groups of up to six members but will not have to wait in line to receive tickets.
Seating will be allocated to each group based on the point average of its individuals, which will be determined by adding class-standing points and years of season-ticket purchase for men's hockey, or lottery participation for men's basketball.
Another change listed by the e-mail was the introduction of half-season tickets for men's basketball. Of the 2,100 tickets available for students, 1,200 will be sold in a lottery as full-season tickets, while the remaining 900 tickets will be sold in a second lottery as half-season tickets, creating 1,800 half-season ticket-holders, according to an Athletic Department release.
Another notable modification was to the lottery format itself. Previously, class standing was the only variable used to differentiate students in the weighted lottery, but beginning in 2007, lottery participation history will be added as a variable to help establish each student's ""score"" in the weighted lottery.
For basketball, according to the release, ""four chances will be given to fourth and fifth-year seniors and graduate students, three chances for juniors, two chances for sophomores and one chance for freshman.""
However, the release also said under the new ""loyalty"" system, ""students will receive one additional chance for each year of lottery participation, with a maximum of three years of participation, starting with the 2004-'05 lottery. For example, a senior who has participated in the lottery for each of the last three years will have seven chances in the weighted lottery.""
UW-Madison junior and hockey season ticket holder Casey Strecker said he does not like the changes.
""It seems like [the changes] might be fair, but as a big hockey fan who's been in line for three years now, I won't be able to get as good a seat as I would have [if] I camped out for 12 days,"" he said.
Athletic Department representatives were not available for comment Thursday night.
