Students could be penalized for not attending football games.

At Tuesday’s Student Government Association meeting, members endorsed an Athletic Association proposal to revise the football ticketing system.

Franklin College Senator Will Burgess discusses the proposed changes to the football ticketing system at Tuesday’s SGA meeting. The new system aims to increase student attendance at home games. Photo by Kathryn Ingall | The Red & Black

The proposed system would allow students to directly transfer student football tickets to another student or to the ticket bank.

“It’s important that the people who want to go to the game get to go to the game,” Franklin College Senator Will Burgess said.

The proposal will be brought before an Athletic Board meeting on Feb. 28.

Students would have until the Thursday before the game to decide whether they would attend the game or not.

If a student does not donate their ticket by that time, it will be assumed they will attend.

Students who do not attend games will receive a penalty point.

“We realize you’re out of town and things happen,” Burgess said. “We just want as many people to fill the stadium as possible.”

Three penalty points in a season would result in disqualification for post-season tickets and tickets for the following season.

“This cuts down on the number of people who are buying tickets and going only to one game,” he said.

Burgess said this proposal does not address whether students will receive refunds from donated tickets.

“It’s an incentive to get more freshmen into the games because we realize they’re the most likely to attend,” he said.

He said more than 3,000 students were denied full home season ticket packages and received split packages, most of these going to freshmen.

Matt Winston, assistant to University President Michael Adams and member of the Gameday Committee, was also present at the meeting and shared news about tailgating restrictions.

He said the tailgating resolution passed by SGA has been presented to Adams, and a discussion is planned for the University Cabinet meeting in March.

“We’ve had some deliberation and discussions and the committee is getting close to making a recommendation to President Adams,” Winston said.