Students of SS

[The Sicatoka]

Allow beer in the student section.  Problem solved, when do I pick up my seat?

Awesome!

UND gets the concessions dollars for Athletics.

Plus, as a bonus, the City of GF gets a great new revenue source too: All those "minor in possession of alcohol" charges and fines.

[Diggler]

Awesome!

UND gets the concessions dollars for Athletics.

Plus, as a bonus, the City of GF gets a great new revenue source too: All those "minor in possession of alcohol" charges and fines.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Exactly! Everybody wins!!! People should pay me for these great ideas I think of.

Students won't get any more seats in the lower bowl until UND takes over control of the arena and even then it isn't likely. Speaking of UND taking over, when is that supposed to happen or am I mistaken in that it actually was supposed to happen at some time?

[forecheck]

Today I went to pick up my general admission ticket for the game this Saturday when the woman helping me asked if I had season tickets. I said no, but asked if they had decided to sell season tickets for the upper bowl. She said no, so I asked what the reasoning was behind it.

REA employee: "There isn't a need."

Me: "Yes there is. I plan on going to every home game and it's cheaper for me to buy season tickets. Plus, since I'm doing a fieldwork from 8-5 everyday this semester, I wouldn't have to leave work every week that there is a home game to pick up my tickets."

REA employee: "If students have to buy single game tickets there is a better chance that they will show up to the games, where if we sell season tickets there is a good chance that there will be a lot of empty seats."

Interesting. So in other words, they don't want to risk there being empty seats in the upper bowl student section because those tickets that weren't used could have been sold to the general public for 4x the value. Of course, how silly of me. Why take into consideration how the STUDENTS want STUDENT tickets sold to them when there is more money to be made by selling those tickets to people who aren't students!

Forget the stupid lottery that happened. I'm over it. I want to know how the hell it is ok to deny students the option of season tickets for the upper bowl based on the reason that "students might not show up for every game." Seems like if that is the philosophy, then no one in the arena should get season tickets!

[Diggler]

Forget the stupid lottery that happened.  I'm over it.  I want to know how the hell it is ok to deny students the option of season tickets for the upper bowl based on the reason that "students might not show up for every game."  Seems like if that is the philosophy, then no one in the arena should get season tickets!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Join the crowd. I was over not get tickets in the lower bowl by that night. I'm still dumbfounded that I'm not allowed to get season tickets. Also the passing of the buck between UND and REA on this is ridiculous. I trust what Jordan told me a helluva lot more then what I hear anyone from the AD or REA say. It is always the other people's fault. A straight answer would kill them.

We are planning on forming a group to go talk to Roger Thomas about this, but I'm not sure if it will actually happen. I try to organize it and people agree that it is a good idea, but aren't willing to say when they can/would like to go do it. I'm not gonna go talk to Roger by myself because it would be a waste of both of our time.

[forecheck]

We are planning on forming a group to go talk to Roger Thomas about this, but I'm not sure if it will actually happen.  I try to organize it and people agree that it is a good idea, but aren't willing to say when they can/would like to go do it.  I'm not gonna go talk to Roger by myself because it would be a waste of both of our time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would definitely go in on that if he would be willing to meet in the evenings. I'm unavailable from 8-5 Monday-Friday.

[Diggler]

I would definitely go in on that if he would be willing to meet in the evenings.  I'm unavailable from 8-5 Monday-Friday.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, I'm pretty sure we'd have to meet Roger sometime during the day. At least you gave times though unlike many of the schmucks that I ask. Then again they are propnuts, so what else can you expect?

I realize now why people don't plan stuff, it sucks. You try doing things and people are so lazy that they can't even give you any feedback despite the fact that you ask them a direct question. I think I'm gonna go back to being a lazy slug who complains about everything and tries to solve nothing. It's much easier that way.

[tboneund]

"I think I'm gonna go back to being a lazy slug who complains about everything and tries to solve nothing. It's much easier that way. "

That's the spirit Diggler!

PS. You're not lazy...just motivationaly challenged

[redwing77]

[dagies]

[rochsioux]

REA employee:  "If students have to buy single game tickets there is a better chance that they will show up to the games, where if we sell season tickets there is a good chance that there will be a lot of empty seats."

Interesting.  So in other words, they don't want to risk there being empty seats in the upper bowl student section because those tickets that weren't used could have been sold to the general public for 4x the value.  Of course, how silly of me.  Why take into consideration how the STUDENTS want STUDENT tickets sold to them when there is more money to be made by selling those tickets to people who aren't students!

I have to agree with REA to some degree on this one. I'm not sure there was even one game last year where the students used all their seats in the upper deck. If 307-310 did sell out it was because the remaining student tickets were bought by the public. If you sell these as season tickets there will be a lot of empty seats for each game. The big problem is that the cost of the season ticket is so cheap that someone may purchase them with the intent of only going to select games. As long as the students can't sell out 307-310 for most games how can you expect REA to change their policy ? I agree that is sucks for the diehard fans but you still can get tickets.

As far as the cost, why can't REA lower the price of the student single game tickets to match what a season ticket costs (about $4 ) ?

[rochsioux]

Herald says:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Taking an average of the other schools is a ridiculous measurement. What I would like to see is the number of student tickets alloted vs. the number of students enrolled. My guess is that the UND students have a much higher percent than most (maybe all) other schools in the WCHA. The main reason the students got such a large percent of the seats in the Old Ralph was that they helped pay for the building.

My guess is that UND has 15-17% ticket allotment for the students (2000-2200 tickets for 13200 students). Not sure how many tickets schools like Minnesota make available for students, but they have 40,000 students which means they need to give 6000 or more tickets to the students to be comparable to UND. I believe Mankato State is similar to UND in enrollment and I doubt they allocate 2000 seats to their students.

Lower bowl vs. upper bowl is a useless debate since all student seats in REA are excellent for watching hockey. Some schools such as MN only have one bowl so how can you compare locations ?

[Diggler]

Lower bowl vs. upper bowl is a useless debate since all student seats in REA are excellent for watching hockey.  Some schools such as MN only have one bowl so how can you compare locations ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is very subjective. Many people like seats higher up, other people like seats lower down. Students I would think for the most part like seats lower down. Just because you say all the seats are great for watching hockey, doesn't mean students think the same thing.

And for student tickets, why don't I deserve to be able to get season tickets? Not me in general, me specificially. I've missed two games total in my time at UND and one of those games was because I was in Florida. But I don't deserve a season ticket because last year students didn't fill the upper bowl? That doesn't make any sense. UND won't lower the price for individual tickets though because then they will make less money and money is all that matters now.

[rochsioux]

[U2Bad1]

I have to agree with REA to some degree on this one.

[Smoggy]

NO NO NO NO NO... nobody is saying that ALL the seats in 307-310 be sold as  season tickets. Season ticket amounts have decreased by about 400 in the student section since the 2002-2003 season. Attendance in the upper bowl seats was not higher back then.

It probably isn't even about the money.. it's about the inconvenience of having to show up monday morning to buy tickets ever week there is a home series.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What if you could pick them up at the union? Or somewhere else more on campus.

What if you get season tickets, but still have to pick them up each week (again, somewhere closer and later hours)? Does that defeat the purpose. At least there shouldn't be a line, and then if you didn't want them, the REA could resell.

[forecheck]

If you sell these as season tickets there will be a lot of empty seats for each game.  The big problem is that the cost of the season ticket is so cheap that someone may purchase them with the intent of only going to select games. 

Have you even been to any games? There are tons of regular season ticket holders who don't show up for a majority of the games either. So why allow non-students to buy season tickets and only show up for the MN & Wisconsin series but not allow students the same option? I myself plan on going to every game, as usual, and to tell me that I can't buy season tickets because I might not show up to every game is absurd.

[fightingsioux4life]

I swear some of you guys are over whinning about UND on http://www.UND-fraud.com. talking about how evil and repressive UND is and how the Administration does care about anything but money and it doesn't give people due process. I mean really UND isn't that bad and it doesn't owe you anything. Welcome to the real world. Also you guys are not the losers Vivian Nelson or Glenda Miskin are.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have a couple of things to say to both of these posters:

dakotaboy: I went to UND for 7 years and got 2 degrees (one Bachelor's and one Master's) and now I work at UND. I don't know what your situation is and I won't speculate because I don't think it's my place. But I can tell you that my experiences at UND have been nothing but positive. Sure, there are a few bad apples here and there (every place is like that), but for the most part the professors and staff are top-notch. Financial aid, like any other government-coordinated program, is bureaucratic and slow-moving sometimes. I'm sure the staff at UND are doing the best they can under the circumstances. Which brings me to......

Goon: You are one of the best posters on this forum and I think you know a lot about hockey and sports in general. But I am getting a little sick and tired of your preaching to people about "the real world" (this is not the first time I've seen you do this). Your version of the "real world" doesn't jive with common sense. You said UND doesn't owe it's students anything? Baloney. Students pay big tuition bills to go to school and a lot of them work part or even full-time to pay the bills. UND collects tuition, fees, room and board from over 13,000 students every year. The suits at UND darn well owe the students something......respect, consideration, and a committment to provide the best college experience they can. If they don't, students will go elsewhere (maybe even NDSU! ) and UND will struggle to pay it's bills. If UND is a big business, that makes the students the customers. But based on your very short-sighted view of the "real world", I guess Wal-Mart doesn't owe IT'S customers anything, even though without customers, it would cease to exist. So if dakotaboy has a problem with the financial aid office, he has every right to complain about it. Comparing him to the trouble-makers on UND-fraud.com is completely out of line and shows a lack of perspective on your part.

Now to comment on the actual topic at hand, I think the student seating issue needs to be solved as soon as possible. Have a summit meeting with REA, the Student Senate, Kupchella, and Roger Thomas and work out a sensible, fair and common-sense solution so we can get back to what's important, cheering on our team and making the Ralph the most intimidating building in College Hockey.

I now yield back the balance of my time!

[rochsioux]

[DamStrait]

I know I'm going to catch hell for this, but in the 'good ol' days' of Sioux Hockey aka the days before the new REA, student season tickets weren't available either. And no, you didn't have to pick up tickets for each game, but you did have to wait in a huge line to gain admittance, and if the Sioux were a top team and if it was a big series, you had to get there early for a good seat or maybe for any seat at all. I understand students now pay for tickets, but all-in-all I think their lot in the hockey world is still pretty damn good. Could things be better? Undoubtedly, but I think the amount of pi$$ing and moaning going on might be a bit overdone. Fill the upper deck student sections. Use the closeness to the ceiling to your advantage: If you make noise, I guarantee you it will be heard at the ice level. Make the upper deck THE place to be.

[dakotadan]

If the upper deck is the place to be, you sit up there and I will sit in the UNCOOL lower level.

[DamStrait]

If the upper deck is the place to be, you sit up there and I will sit in the UNCOOL lower level.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, gee, Skippy, it just so happens that I already do sit in the upper level. Nice job of totally missing my point, by the way.

[Diggler]

If the upper deck is the place to be, you sit up there and I will sit in the UNCOOL lower level.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well if you ever want to be cool, you can come and sit by me. If not though, you can continue to be yelled at for breathing in the lower level. Have fun!

[rochsioux]

Herald article from today.

Christina Sambor, student vice president, said that in the school's former hockey venue, old Engelstad Arena, students were promised more than 2,500 of that arena's 6,100 total seats, about 41 percent.

Now, in the new Engelstad Arena, students are allotted about 2,100 seats in a venue that seats more than 11,400 people, about 18 percent of capacity. And, Sambor said, about 70 percent of the student seats are now in the arena's upper bowl, farther from the action on the ice.

Students argue that other Western Collegiate Hockey Association schools reserve between 20 and 30 percent of seats for students.

Thomas said he's trying not to be the bad guy in the issue, but the students, over the years, have never filled all the seats set aside for them in the old or new Engelstad Arenas.

Thomas said the current seating configuration is "pretty comparable" to other athletic venues in the nation.

Thomas also said school officials might consider reshuffling the seating in the Ralph sometime in the future, and that might be the time to tackle students' concerns.

Saying other schools reserve 20-30% of their arenas is not a valid argument unless you take into account the size of the arena and the size of the student body.

[Smoggy]

Personally, I'm on the students side. The REA has done nothing for the students. Since that arena opened I always thought the students should do some sort of protest/boycott. What does amaze me is how the Heraldo loves to keep pursuing their own agenda. Once their editors have expressed their opinion, you get article after article on the subject.

[southpaw]

Personally, I'm on the students side.  The REA has done nothing for the students.  Since that arena opened I always thought the students should do some sort of protest/boycott.  What does amaze me is how the Heraldo loves to keep pursuing their own agenda.  Once their editors have expressed their opinion, you get article after article on the subject.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's just agenda setting. It's a hot topic at UND...if the Herald writes an editorial here or there, the topic will continue. The Herald then becomes the main source for information on the subject and people will then pay money to buy the Herald and read what they have to say. It's just a good business policy.