Whats up with sections 116 and 117?

[BA2929]

If I'm not mistaken, aren't sections 116 and 117 student sections? Why can't the students fill up the sections they're given? If they're not going to be able to do it, someone should cut down the student section to a smaller size. It looks terrible on tv when all the local stations cameras show nothing but empty seats all game.

- rant over -

:good:

[shockerfan]

Re: Whats up with sections 116 and 117?

If I'm not mistaken, aren't sections 116 and 117 student sections? Why can't the students fill up the sections they're given? If they're not going to be able to do it, someone should cut down the student section to a smaller size. It looks terrible on tv when all the local stations cameras show nothing but empty seats all game.

- rant over -

:good:

Cause it's Thanksgiving break.....oh wait.....nvmd that doesn't work this time around.

[RoyalShock]

I keep wondering why, if there are 700 people waiting to buy season tickets, there can be several hundred empty seats in GA (the unused student section seats).

I also noticed a lot of empty seats (one or two here and there) scattered about the arena. It didn't look like a lot on first glance but I thought they might have numbered in the high hundreds.

I'd say there were between 9000-9500 actual butts in seats last night.

[BA2929]

I keep wondering why, if there are 700 people waiting to buy season tickets, there can be several hundred empty seats in GA (the unused student section seats).

I also noticed a lot of empty seats (one or two here and there) scattered about the arena. It didn't look like a lot on first glance but I thought they might have numbered in the high hundreds.

I'd say there were between 9000-9500 actual butts in seats last night.

Yes, they could easily open up the tops of sections 116 and 117 for new season ticket holders. - Oh, and I'm really sick of seeing all those lower bowl seats that are open. It seems like every section has 10+ seats open. Either we have a lot of corporate sponsors who never give out their seats or a bunch of lazy people who don't want to leave the house on a Tuesday. - I can understand a few seats open due to children's events or work, but not 1500.

[martymoose]

I just talked with a guy I know who's currently attending classes at WSU. He said there were marketing people on campus Monday and Tuesday trying to give a way student tickets....people weren't taking them. :cry:

I hoped I wouldn't have to bring this up, but I remember last season and the season before when students were claiming to be the best students ever. I basically said the student section is bandwagon fans and are just supporting a winning team (nothing wrong with that in my opinion) but I was yelled at by numerous students saying that was untrue and they would sell out no matter what. I hate to say it, but.... TOLD YOU SO!

Of course I'm not referring to all students, I know there are quite a few who will be there to cheer on the Shocks no matter what. I was one of them from '96 - '02, cheering on a very sub par team. Unfortunatly this is a fact of life at WSU. I'm assuming as this team improves over the next couple of months and we get some name teams in, student attendance and over all attendance will improve.

[SpanglerFan316]

I keep wondering why, if there are 700 people waiting to buy season tickets, there can be several hundred empty seats in GA (the unused student section seats).

I also noticed a lot of empty seats (one or two here and there) scattered about the arena. It didn't look like a lot on first glance but I thought they might have numbered in the high hundreds.

I'd say there were between 9000-9500 actual butts in seats last night.

Yes, they could easily open up the tops of sections 116 and 117 for new season ticket holders. - Oh, and I'm really sick of seeing all those lower bowl seats that are open. It seems like every section has 10+ seats open. Either we have a lot of corporate sponsors who never give out their seats or a bunch of lazy people who don't want to leave the house on a Tuesday. - I can understand a few seats open due to children's events or work, but not 1500.

Student fees generate something like $7,500,000 per year ($25 X 300,000 (???) credit hours per year) for WSU outside tuition. My figure might be way off but I think it is in the ballpark. If half goes to athletics, that's close to $4M per year. I don't know the actual figures but someone (i.e. parents like me) is paying money that goes to athletics. The students get free seats in return. Seems fair to me.

[WuDrWu]

While I am frustrated with the student section percentage of occupancy I am thrilled with the enthusiasm of the ones in attendance.

They are better than any group we have ever had if we could only increase their numbers!

Now how is it possible that the section can be full last year and not this year?

That's what I want to know.

[C0|dB|00ded]

Well I can tell you this... the semester is coming to a close and every student is getting hammered in his/her respective classes with end of semester projects and preparations for finals next week. For those who are concerned with their GPA's, the opportunity cost of not completing a major assignment due the following day is too high to attend a basketball game against Maryland-Baltimore-County-City-State-Zipcode... :good:

Take it from one Straight-A student, sometimes you just have to prioritize.


T


...8)

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

"THESE REFS SUCK!! THESE REFS SUCK!!"

[WuShockFan]

I keep wondering why, if there are 700 people waiting to buy season tickets, there can be several hundred empty seats in GA (the unused student section seats).

This is a VERY good question. The unclaimed student tickets go on sale 48 hours before tip-off time, plenty of time for those 700 people to snatch up a ticket for the game. Maybe they think the GA tickets aren't good enough for them? Snobs who think if they can't get season tickets, they won't bother trying to get any tickets? You would think if someone had applied for season tickets, that they would be pining for any chance to get a ticket to go to a game.

Maybe the athletic department needs to publicize the fact that unclaimed student tickets go on sale to the public 48 hours before game time. Maybe people don't know this and don't seek tickets because they keep hearing "the season is sold out".

Also, as has been said, the 1,000 student tickets are bought and paid for by student fees. Those empties up in 116 and 117 are bought and paid for by students. The students own them. It's not right to give them permanently to season ticket holders. But if all the tickets aren't claimed 48 hours prior to game time, there should be no problem finding people in the Wichita area to take those tickets. This is a metro area of over 500,000 people. There are maybe 300-400 unclaimed student tickets. I really believe the general public just doesn't know they can get those unclaimed student tickets. Not enough publicity on this matter.

Another thing is, stop criticizing the students for "not showing up". The die hard student fans who will be there every game no matter what have been there every game since Ark Tech. That's about 500 students or so, judging by the number of empty seats above them. 500 die hard students is a decent turn out for a campus of 15,000 total students, especially considering WSU is a non-traditional campus with a lot of students who work nights, have families, etc. It's easier to get a lot of students at KU games because a lot of them are teenagers on a full-ride by Mom and Dad and they don't have many responsibilities besides school work.

Assuming there are about 500 students who show up at every game and there are about 15,000 total students at WSU, that's about 3% of the total student body at every game. 3% of the population of Wichita is 10,500 (350,000 x .03). The students are showing up in the same percentages as the rest of the fans.

The real question is, why aren't there more Wichita-area people clamoring to pick up those 300-400 unclaimed student tickets?

[martymoose]

The real question is, why aren't there more Wichita-area people clamoring to pick up those 300-400 unclaimed student tickets?

I think you answered your own question. The ticket office isn't doing anything to let the public know that tickets are available. All everyone has heard for the last 2 years is that CKA is sold out. The casual fan doesn't know he can still get tickets fairly easily. And what's up with the Ticketmarket place adding a $7 surchage to tickets plus taking $2 from the person listing their tickets....You can't tell me they need $9 per ticket sold to keep the "Marketplace" running. Those prices aren't going to help fill CKA.

[wsu789]

I just got the Wu's Mail that said tickets are available to the general public. I assume these are unclaimed student tickets. It seems like every Eagle article on the games says that tickets are available, too. So, the information is getting out there to some extent.

Maybe they need to do a round of PR on the morning radio shows promoting this fact?

Spangler, I think your numbers are way off, but there is no doubt that some student fees go to the Arena project. If memory serves, about a quarter to a half million a year. Nothing to sneeze at, and certainly deserving of the free tickets, so long as they are used.

Unless there is an agreement prohibiting it, I would not be surprised if the AD cuts the student allotment for next year. A slightly over half full student section just ain't cutting it, particularly when there is supposedly a waiting list for season tickets.

[RoyalShock]

Maybe someone on the waiting list can confirm, but I have a hard time believing that our AD (dept. not director) is so incompetent as to not tell those on the list how single-game tickets can be purchased.

I didn't want to say it earlier, but my I wondered if a majority (not all) of those on the waiting list are socialites who missed the boat.

[Shocker85]

The number of student seats might not be up to the AD alone. There was probably a formal agreement between the ICAA and the SGA which set-up the original terms for allocation of student fee money and tickets. Some negotiation would probably be required to reclaim those seats from the students.

There are a few things that could/should be done:

1) Change the agreement to reduce the student ticket allotment.

2) Make the cut-off time more like 1 week instead of 48 hours. This would allow the ICAA to adapt the level of marketing required to unload the available GA tickets. Use the 48 hours cutoff as the deadline after which the remaining tickets are donated to Big Brothers or the Boys and Girls Club.

3) Create more targeted marketing. Let the people know who, for example, are on the waiting list know directly that tickets are available.

4) Make the student section more "narrow" so that the remaining GA seats aren't up in the rafters. If the only ticket available will put me in row 30+ on the end, I'd get tired of that.

5) The service fees for the ticket marketplace are robbery. Reduce or eliminate those fees. For crying out loud, the tickets are already sold, stop trying to rob the public.

It is just unfathomable to me that the students don't take all their allocation FOR FREE. 500 students at games is all on the students. Finals, projects, blah, blah, blah, is crap. It's 2 friggin' hours. Put down your XBox / Wii / iPod and support your university.

--'85.

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

Maybe someone on the waiting list can confirm, but I have a hard time believing that our AD (dept. not director) is so incompetent as to not tell those on the list how single-game tickets can be purchased.

I didn't want to say it earlier, but my I wondered if a majority (not all) of those on the waiting list are socialites who missed the boat.

My parents are on the waiting list. They recieved no call whatsover as to buying single games or that the season tix allotment was gone.

We know about the ticket martketplace as well GA tickets hell im sure my mom is reading this as I type hahaha but for us it comes down to money for the games. Now granted if we were to pony up for season tickets we should be able to pony up for each individual game.

But its rather a bit more difficult than that.