Our Take

Majority opinions of The Red & Black's editorial board

By:

Posted: 6/14/07

Six hours? No tix

New distribution process takes "super seniors" out of football ticket equation

This fall, most football fans at the University will have a better chance of getting tickets.

Having fielded complaints from dissatisfied students for years, the Athletic Association finally decided a change in ticket distribution policy was necessary. The new scheme changes both the time students receive their ticket packages and the qualifications needed to be eligible to get one.

The biggest change involves who is eligible for tickets. Students must be taking at least 12 hours, the minimum number necessary to be considered full-time, in order to sign up for tickets.

The new policy benefits students in three ways. First, it takes the burden off of freshmen and sophomores, who would have otherwise probably been left high and dry while their older, more beer-gutted peers enjoyed baking in the student section.

Second, it takes out of the equation fifth-and-sixth-year seniors who stick around for the sole purpose of abusing the old seniority-based system to get cheap tickets. Seniors who cheat underclassmen out of a chance to root for the Dawgs will no longer be able to use their perpetual senior standing to grab the tickets of younger fans, cheating them out of a one-of-a-kind University experience in the process.

Last, it provides an incentive for students who otherwise might have other priorities to challenge themselves in academics. Twelve hours isn't much to ask in exchange for what many consider to be the greatest Saturdays of their young lives.

The message is clear: have fun rooting for the Dawgs from the student section, but don't expect to screw over younger students in the process.

Football foibles

Football player arrests help teach an important lesson: Don't get caught

If a third-string quarterback gets suspended and nobody cares, is he really suspended?

Last Sunday morning backup quarterback Blake Barnes and tight end Tripp Chandler were arrested for violating open container laws on South Lumpkin Street. Each player will likely receive a two-game suspension and sit out the first two games of the 2007 season.

In the case of Blake Barnes, we don't question his lack of judgment as an upperclassman. But with him out, who is going to hold the clipboard?

Chandler, on the other hand, was slated to be the starting tight end, and his loss will surely be felt.

But the bigger problem is the off-the-field issues athletes at the University have run into recently.

Their arrests make national news and stain the good reputation Adams and friends have worked so hard to present.

While we don't condone lawbreaking, we do wish the athletes would use the same techniques that many of their fellow students use.

Don't get caught. It seems simple enough, but obviously Chandler and Barnes don't get it because walking down the street late at night with beer bottles in hand is anything but wise.

Maybe the coaches should use football analogies to explain it to the players. For example: walking down the street with open containers is like throwing a pass into triple coverage.

But then again, Barnes would actually have to play for the analogy to ever make sense.