Over a month ago, the athletic department initiated a dialogue with the Student Association concerning student season basketball ticket packages.
In an attempt to represent student interests and knowing that we could not make the decision alone, we consulted numerous and diverse sources. Included on the list of consultants were every elected officer of the SA, the vice president for Student Affairs and the highest ranking representative from IFC, BSA, RHA, CAB, International Students, The Reflector, The Reveille and the student M-Club.
Every member of this group of student leaders agreed, without exception, that the athletic department’s concept of season tickets would be a positive for MSU students as long as two criteria were met:
Every member agreed that the number of total ticket packages distributed should be 1,000. Athletic department officials indicated that general public demand for season tickets was so great that the department considered cutting the number of student seats from 3,200 to 2,200 for economic reasons.
Therefore, we felt that it was absolutely necessary to ensure that as many students filled The Hump for every game as possible.
Unleashing a large number of season ticket packages would contribute to empty seats in the student section by placing control of attendance in the hands of a select few students. Empty seats could justify the athletic department selling student tickets to non-students with deeper pockets.
We wanted to ensure that an overwhelming majority of the tickets would be distributed free of charge, just as in previous years.
There are many students on this campus who have not yet had the opportunity to experience the thrill of being a student at The Hump, a thrill that every student should be able to enjoy regardless of financial resources available.
Every member further agreed that Rick’s Rowdies, whose membership was under 500, deserved an opportunity to have the first shot at a limited number of season packages.
According to Coach Stansbury, the Rowdies received 400 to 500 packages last season that weren’t even made available to the general student population. Removing an existing privilege from a student group that devotes so much time and energy to MSU basketball would have been unethical.
Each member of the consultant group felt that the policy rewarding the Rowdies would serve the interest of our student-athletes, continue to inspire other fans in attendance, and bolster the national perception of our student body. Never did we request that tickets be unconditionally set aside past Tuesday for anyone.
Despite indications that our recommendations would be taken to heart, the athletic department pursued its own policy by abandoning the wishes of a wide array of student leaders.
Even more, the athletic department failed to adequately communicate these intentions to people outside the Bryan Building including Student Association officers, the basketball office and the entire student body.
Much confusion could have been avoided had the Athletic Department been forthright with its intentions to ignore the good-faith advice of the students it solicited.
What resulted was the chaos we all experienced Tuesday and Wednesday.
As students, we should expect more from this integral and visible part of our MSU community.
I like to believe that there’s a special something running through the blood of Mississippi State folks, something that places the welfare of the Bulldog Family above any individual entity within. We should never be given reason to question our faith in the People’s University.
I am one of the students who did not receive season tickets. I’ll see you at the Bryan Building late on Sunday nights and early on Monday mornings in an attempt to get a shot at the remaining tickets.
As always, any student without a ticket who shows up at game time will be admitted until fire officials say no more. Just like the resilient Bulldog students that we are, we will not be turned away from The Hump this winter.
Adam Telle is the Student Association president. He can be reached at [email protected].