On Sept. 14, around 1 pm, students received an email informing them that “priority consideration for student tickets” would be given to those who have had a COVID-19 test “completed and reported to the University” after Aug. 15. 
Two hours later, leaving a class in Hodges Hall, I was shocked to see a swarm of students crowding the COVID-19 Testing Pod IV on Dalrymple Drive. After getting home and checking my email, it all made sense: they wanted football tickets, but they hadn’t been tested yet. 
I have to commend the University. Holding football tickets hostage until students do what they were supposed to be doing anyway is brilliant. Individuals who previously would never have gotten tested are finally making an effort now that football is at stake. Unfortunately, the plan is flawed and the effects only temporary. 
Once students receive their tickets, they’ll go back to doing the bare minimum to protect themselves and others — if that. The football culture our University has cultivated over the years is not exactly pandemic-friendly; even if the administration bans tailgating, that’s not going to stop students from gathering prior to and after sporting events somewhere off-campus. 
If students don’t take the proper precautions, the name “Death Valley” could become a literal reality. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 can be spread through aerosols or airborne particles, meaning that when we sneeze, cough, talk, speak or even breathe, we increase the change of infecting those around us.
Screaming, chanting and singing are all breath-heavy activities and result in even more airborne particles than regular speaking or breathing — and as every Tiger fan knows, our football games involve a lot of shouting. 
In order to avoid making every football game a potential super spreader event, the University should require students to be tested for COVID-19 before every game they plan to attend. The University already requires students to complete a daily symptom checker and has access to student-reported COVID-19 test results. Taking it one step further and requiring students to get tested within a two-week period before a game is the only reasonable conclusion. 
Not only would it keep fans safe; it would help protect staff members, as well as the athletes, band members and coaches who are required to be in Tiger Stadium for games. Many of our football players have already contracted the virus, as the Reveille previously reported, and it’s not fair for fans to put them at even more risk.
It may seem inconvenient for students to get semi-regular testing, but it’s not an unreasonable request. Testing services are provided free of charge to students and the process doesn’t take much time. If it seems too unreasonable or inconvenient to you, you probably don’t deserve to enjoy attending football games at the expense of others anyway. 
Marie Plunkett is a 21-year-old classical studies senior from New Orleans.