Yesterday in this space we expressed our appreciation for Student Government President Chris Odinet’s stand against rumors that the Athletic Department was considering decreasing the number of football tickets allotted to students next season. Today it appears his efforts did not fall upon deaf ears. LSU Athletic Director Skip Bertman “swear[s] to God” there will not be a reduction in the number of tickets sold to students next season as an apparent concession to the wishes of students. He told The Daily Reveille the 740 tickets sold to the general public for the Tigers’ game with Ole Miss were an attention-getting device designed to draw more students to football games. Bertman’s decision, though still not in writing as Odinet has requested, marks a positive move by the Athletic Department. It shows the department is willing at least to consider where students stand on an issue and to make decisions with these considerations in mind. But his decision about student tickets only addresses a small part of the problem. It does not take into consideration the massive inconvenience created by attempting to transfer tickets. A more efficient system needs to be created and fast. Students need to show the department its decision is a good one. Bertman’s decision, while reassuring, only ensures that students will have the same number of tickets next year. It does not ensure students will show they deserve to have them. If students continue to leave more than 3,000 seats empty at major home games, the ticket office’s logic of lowering the number students receive makes sense. Students need to repay Bertman’s willingness to listen with an effort to fill their section before it withers away. It is incomprehensible that our students have a team that continually ranks among the best teams in the nation, but students do not fill the stands. If we are going to keep fighting for tickets to our football games, we need to show that the Athletic Department is making a wise decision by allowing us to have them. Until we do, why should they listen to us? It would simply be a bad business decision.
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