Free Tickets or Free Busses?

Trafton B.

November 29, 2009 - 1:29 PM

I try to keep up with current events around campus, and I'm not going to say it happens on a regular basis, but I have been following one heated topic recently. With the current economic downturn, most universities are struggling to make ends meet and some programs have been cut over the past year. Oregon is braving the storm fairly well from what I gathered working with the admissions office last year. And talking with some high school classmates that are attending various UC and Cal State schools, we're doing extremely well. We still offer your fun and exciting yoga, ultimate Frisbee and backpacking PE classes, so that's a good indicator.

The debate on campus isn't about PE classes; it's about how to use the student incidental fee. Do we want student tickets for athletic events or year round bus passes on the LTD?

I'll brief you on the details as far as I know them. The 2009-10 ASUO budget for the student incidental fee roughly $3.5 million; $1.5 million is allotted to the athletic department for student tickets and $900K is paid to Lane Transit District for bus passes. In short, we need to cut down money spent in either of those programs.

The editorial in last Tuesday's Emerald lays out the qualitative info nicely. "Ducks athletic tickets and Lane Transit District bus passes are two very different service covered by student incidental fees. One inspires popular outrage from a fraction of the student body that will do anything to go to a football game; the other is an often-overlooked but necessary means of transporting students to class..."

There have been proposals to split costs between the students and the ASUO, where students would be charged $10 if they requested a ticket. Similarly, they have considered have students pay for half of the LTD fees, with ASUO paying for the other half, which would cut that budget in half but also put financial pressure on the students.

Personally, I don't want either to be cut. You all know by now that I take full advantage of the student tickets, and I ride the bus every so often as well. But if I had to compromise, I would want to see the bus system stay as is, with the same full coverage system that we are running now. I feel there's more leeway with the ticketing system and it wouldn't hurt to change it around for a few reasons.

First, the ASUO is paying the Athletic Department far too much right now for student tickets, especially considering that a lot of students are left out when we only reserve 5,000 - 7,000 tickets depending on the game. Plus, the online ticketing system is flawed. The quality of the student cheering section should not be determined by the power of your Internet connection the Sunday before a game. I wouldn't mind implementing a student season pack of tickets. Those that want to go to the games can buy a set of tickets at the beginning of the season, and if you can't make a game you can redistribute them online on a per game basis.

Also, I would hate to see the bus passes go away. It would put more pressure on the University to provide parking around campus, which is a horrendous situation already, and it would take away any credibility for being a leader in campus sustainability. Whether or not each student rides the bus on a regular basis, it is always nice to have the option, and I can guarantee you that if you had to purchase a bus pass beforehand, most students would decline. LTD would lose money, students would be stranded and the ASUO would be blamed.

There's my two cents on the issue. It's a little sporadic, but I oh well. If anyone out there has some alternate opinions on the matter, by all means I want to hear them. Write a comment if you please. If any one wants more information, you can always check out the budgets and news at the ASUO website or articles in the Daily Emerald online.

Now, I'm going to make some dinner and watch Dennis Dixon start his first official game in the NFL as a Pittsburg Steeler. Go Ducks!