Auburn student ticketing has been reformed again with the results of the postseason ticket referendum held Feb. 6. All postseason tickets will now be distributed using a credit-hour and loyalty-based priority system.
The credit-hour and loyalty-based priority system came away from the election with 47.51 percent of the vote, or 4282 votes.
"SGA is extremely excited to work with the football and athletic complex with this new program," said SGA Director of Election Niki Ozburn.
Starting in the 2018 season, all postseason tickets will be distributed based first on the number of penalty points and then the number of Auburn credit hours.
Students with the least number of penalty points and the highest number of Auburn credit hours will now take top priority in ticket distribution.
Penalty points were implemented in the 2017 football season. Students receive penalty points based on their attendance at football games they have a ticket for.
The loyalty portion of the credit-hour and loyalty-based priority system is based upon the penalty points a student receives in a single season.
In the recently implemented credit-hour and loyalty-based priority system, tickets will be distributed to students in order of decreasing credit hour. This means students with the most credit hours will be given the opportunity to purchase a ticket first.
If a certain credit hour level is reached and there are more students at that level than available tickets, then those students will be entered in a random lottery.
“I think that is really fair for the student body from freshman all the way up to seniors and obviously students who voted for it thought that as well, it got almost 50 percent of the vote out of four choices,” SGA Vice President Justin Smith said. “We're excited; next steps are to bring that result to the athletic department and we'll work with them and see what we can do going forward and see what that looks like in the future.”
Executive Director of Elections Catherine Milling read the results of the student ticketing referendum along with the election winners' names to the crowd gathered at the back steps of Cater Hall.
The referendum included four options for postseason student ticket distribution, a random lottery system, credit hour priority system, loyalty-based priority system and credit-hour and loyalty-based priority system.
A lottery system would have provided students the opportunity to enter the lottery and then would have been chosen at random to receive the option to purchase a ticket to a postseason game.
A credit-hour priority system would have provided students with the highest number of Auburn credit hours the ability to purchase a postseason ticket.
A loyalty-based priority system would have provided priority ticket distribution to students that have the least number of penalty points for that football season.
“I think that's probably the best option, that's what I voted for at least,” said Austin Cain, senior in finance. “Just because I think that it's better to give credit on who has been in college the longest, who has the most credit hours and then who is the most loyal, who's been to the most games in the past. I think it's most fair.”
The system that is voted on will be used for distributing postseason student tickets beginning with the 2018 season. This new system replaced a random lottery system that has been in place until now.
“I voted for that, the loyalty and credit-based,” said junior in finance Jeffrey Saunders. “Just because it did seem most fair. The people that just put in the most time throughout the years going to the football games. I feel like as a senior you, kind of deserve them. An opportunity to see your last football season or even as a junior, your second to last football postseason. I think it's the best option."
The credit hour and loyalty based priority system will be used to distribute student tickets for all postseason games, which include SEC Championships, bowl games and National Championships.
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