In short: Students need to know why it has been taking so long to get information about football tickets.

On rolltide.com’s page about 2010 football tickets, there is a link to a page about student football tickets. It has a ton of helpful information about buying tickets.

Unfortunately, that information is for 2009.

There are few issues as important to UA students as football. Gameday is a weekly event in the fall that dominates everything else, not just that Saturday but the entire weekend. Next year, as the reigning national champions try to defend their title, fall Saturdays will take on even more importance than usual.

And, as of right now, students still can’t be sure of their plans on those days.

Last year, student football tickets went on sale in early April. Students were told when and how they could get these tickets well in advance of that. Right now, it’s mid-April and the University has yet to inform students about next year’s tickets.

Students have a lot of questions, and there aren’t a lot of answers.

The new expansion to Bryant-Denny Stadium will increase the facility’s seating capacity to over 100,000 people, but will any of those new seats be used to expand the student section?

As the University expands its student body, it should also expand the access students have to perhaps the school’s most prominent attraction. Student tickets should not be a privilege for a lucky few. The ability to watch the Tide on Saturdays should be a perk that comes with being a student at the University of Alabama.

Currently, the University’s silence is leading to a lot of rumors about how tickets will be distributed next year and who will get them.

Much of this stems from the significant controversies surrounding last year’s virtual waiting rooms. Computer errors led to a lot of people not getting tickets and a widespread perception that this method was unfair.

The firestorm of negativity surrounding last year’s system has led to a lot of speculation about the method by which next year’s tickets will be sold. Unfortunately, the University hasn’t given any indication about whether or not that system will change. Thus, the rumors continue.

Rumors also abound as to who will have access to what kind of ticket packages. Typically, incoming students have access to just half-season packages, while rising sophomores, juniors and seniors can get a full season of home games. But some students say they have heard that rising sophomores may not be able to buy a full-season package. There is no way for students to be sure about the truth of that, since the University has yet to inform students about next year’s football tickets.

Finals are just three weeks away. Students should know when they can buy their football tickets before they become swamped with studying or they leave campus for their summer plans.

Our View is the consensus of The Crimson White’s editorial board.