Over 1,400 student tickets went unused during the Western Kentucky game on Sept. 8, resulting in many students receiving 1.5 penalty points to their student ticket account.
According to a Student Government Association press release, 767 of the 1,400 tickets were donated after 5 p.m. on the Friday before Gameday.
Students can receive a donated ticket up until halftime of the game but will still receive 1.5 penalty points if they cannot use the last-minute ticket. Meagan Bryant, SGA press secretary, advises students to be mindful of the policy.
“SGA encourages students to remove themselves from the donation list if they do not want to receive a ticket after a certain point,” Bryant said.
The donation list can be found under the “mytickets” section of myBama. Students who receive a donated ticket but can’t use it can donate the ticket back and receive a .5 penalty.
Though some students who receive a donated ticket after the start of the game may have already made plans to be elsewhere, they must donate the ticket back and receive a .5 penalty point or receive 1.5 points for not using the ticket.
“SGA wants to give every student the opportunity to attend each game, and it is for that reason that we allow tickets to be awarded to those on the waiting list all the way until halftime of the game,” Joe Hart, chief justice for SGA, said.
Students who incur three or more points this fall will be ineligible to receive post-season tickets or tickets for the 2013 regular and postseason.
Sarah Hughes, a senior majoring in political science, donated her ticket on the Saturday morning of Gameday and received a .5 point penalty.
“I find it odd that we get penalized for donating our tickets when all we’re doing is helping students who don’t have tickets to get into the game,” Hughes said. “Donating our tickets is better than not going at all because it helps ensure that the stadium won’t be empty. I don’t think we should be penalized for that.”
Jessica Goodman, a junior majoring in public relations, thinks the penalty point system is a logical way to help students without tickets.
“If you have tickets and don’t use them, there is always someone who would want it and may not have gotten one from the donation pool, because you just decided to forgo donating and not go at all,” Goodman said. “So I get why the system exists. I think some of the rules and regulations of it are annoying and that it should be altered.”
Goodman also said if students donate a ticket before kickoff, then there is no need for a penalty at all.
Students can also pay to upgrade their ticket to sell or use for a non-student and receive one penalty point.
Tyler Howard, a sophomore majoring in economics, couldn’t attend the game because of work but managed to sell his ticket.
“Honestly, things come up and if you’re going to skip one football game against a team no one’s ever heard of, then I don’t think that should stay with you,” Howard said.
