Student forums for 2,000 arena tickets canceled

By Dana Parker-McClain

The student-run basketball ticket distribution committee has canceled two noontime forums in the Free Speech Area.

The committee, composed of eight students and two advisors from the University Student Union, continues to discuss ways to distribute the 2,000 Save Mart Center student tickets that were promised in a 2000 student referendum.

The forums were set to give students opportunities to voice opinions on how to distribute the 2,000 free basketball tickets (per men’s home game) students were granted in the Legacy 2000 referendum.

Legacy 2000 passed on Nov. 16, 2000 with about 72 percent of 1,934 voters in favor of the referendum.

The referendum said student USU fees would increase $49 per semester, with additional inflationary increases of $1 every two years in order to fund the construction of a student-owned and operated recreation center.

The referendum also promised students the 2,000 basketball tickets.

But the tickets did come with a price.

“ There is no such thing as free,” said Brent Hansen, AS activities senator and member of the current ticket distribution committee.

But students are paying less in fees than the $22 it would be for a regular ticket, he said.

While the athletic department donated the basketball tickets, students had to pay for the 2,000 personal seat license fees.

“ Students have already paid $8.50 per seat per game, roughly, because we purchased 2,000 seat licenses, which came out to a total of about $300,000,” Hansen said.

The seat licenses will be good for the next 10 years, he said.

Making sure that students have opportunities to take advantage of the 2,000 tickets for the next 10 years is the job of the Basketball Ticket Distribution Committee.

“ We want to make sure that we fill those 2,000 seats,” Hansen said.

A proposal by the athletic department favored handing out tickets in the days before games, then selling any leftover tickets and splitting the profits, Hansen said.

In 2000, the funds were not available for a student recreation center. Students chose to step up and take action to help finance the center, and the 2,000 tickets were thrown into the deal as an incentive to do that, said Arakel Arisian, who was president of Associated Students, Inc. in 2000.

Hansen said the committee has yet to come up with a solid plan of how to give out the tickets.

Dr. Paul Oliaro, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, said certain criteria should be met in the ticket distribution process.

The process should be fair, students should have equal access to the tickets and the athletic department should be able to sell the leftover tickets so that all seats can be filled, Oliaro said.