I understand from talking to the ticket office today that if the students don't
buy all of the tickets available to them that there will be empty seats.  Empty
seats at a Maine Hockey Game when there are people who want to go would be a
crime.
Tickets still remaining at game-time should then be made available to the
general public.  I just hope that there is someone out there with enough pull to
fix this potentially unfortunate situation.  My son and I would certainly drive
to Orono for a chance at a couple tickets even standing room.
 
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Student seating
Author:  [log in to unmask] at Internet
Date:    10/21/98 12:21 PM
 
 
[log in to unmask],NNTP writes:
>Thank you for the detailed explanation Cathy. As I see it, the students
>at UMaine now have control over the future student seating allotment at
>hockey games. If they fill the 1,500 student seats then they will
>continue to have 1,500 seats set aside for them. If they don't fill the
>seats then....more general public seats should become available. I don't
>care if the place is filled with screaming, cheering, loud students or
>screaming, cheering, loud members of the general public. I just want the
>place FULL!
 
I agree that the students have control, however this will only benefit
the students if the administration does a good job getting the word out
to the students, which I am currently not seeing.
 
I'm also a bit concerned given the four games.  Most students will
probably be luke warm to this weekends games, mostly because they don't
recognize the teams.  THe next games are league games and will probably
draw more, but BC, BU and UNH are the games to really gauge student
interest and those are later in the year.
 
I'd encourage the ticket office and the administration to give
deference to students as they make a final determination.  If over the
years the "average" has been 750 with a *very poor* ticket system,
don't just limit the number of students to 750.  It is understandable
to want to cut the number from 1500, but I'd be extremely disappointed
if we started turning students away at the door because we cut too many
tickets.  It is going to take more than 4 games to get the students
back into Alfond.  Hopefully the administration will recognize that and
make a slow transition.
 
-dt
 
--
Deron Treadwell - [log in to unmask]