At the end of April, the UW Athletic Department released new procedures for the sale, distribution and allocation of student season tickets for men's hockey—available now—and men's basketball—available in September.
Under the new policies, there will no longer be season ticket ""distribution days"" for men's hockey and basketball tickets.
Instead, a new point system will be used to determine how close to the glass or baseline their seats will be. Students can register groups of up to six members but will not have to wait in line to receive tickets.
""Students we talked to weren't able to stand in line—they didn't have the time to do it,"" said Vince Sweeney, senior associate athletic director for external relations. ""We think the fact that a different priority system has been set up is better than seeing who can stand in line the longest.""
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 purchases for men's hockey, or lottery participation for men's basketball.
Incoming freshmen will receive one point and every year thereafter will acquire an additional point. Students will receive one point for each year tickets were purchased beginning with the 2004-'05 season.
Another change for the 2007-'08 basketball season is the addition of half-season student tickets, which will still be lottery-based.
Of the 2,100 student season tickets, 1,200 will be given away in the full-season lottery, while the other 900 will be split into two separate half-season ticket packages, totaling 1,800 available tickets.
The two half-season packages will be mixed, so students will get a variety of games, ensuring that one ticket package is not better than the other.
""We couldn't expand the seating sections, so we thought this was a way for more students to get tickets and go to games,"" Sweeney said.
Though the Athletic Department maintains it has created the fairest distribution policy, some students say the new system leaves out the most faithful fans.
However, Sweeney maintained this is the best policy the department could come up with based on a 2006 student-satisfaction survey on ticket distribution policies.
""Every plan we come up with can be picked apart like that, but at some point you have to decide that the plan we have is the best plan,"" Sweeney said.
Full policy changes can be viewed at uwbadgers.com/tickets.
