Student government is often ridiculed for having little effect on students' daily lives. But when the displeasure over the lack of men's basketball student tickets became a hot issue at the start of this month, student government had an opportunity to do something that concerned an issue close to many students.
And they did. For that, student government should be commended.
The Student Senate passed the Ticket Share resolution Nov. 10 - less than two weeks after the initial ticket sale. Materials were distributed to hall presidents six days after that - three days before the first regular season home game. The plan was efficient and timely.
All students' interests were taken into account with this plan. The disadvantage of living in a smaller dorm allows those students to put their ticket preferences on lists in bigger dorms to have a better chance of getting tickets to the games they want. In lieu of getting an electronic exchange on the off-campus Web site, off-campus students also can go to any dorm to record their ticket desires.
As promising and inclusive as this solution is, it does not stop there.
Not only did student government do something to ease ticket concerns this year, but it worked with the Notre Dame ticket office to help make the process more efficient in future years.
Now students will only be able to purchase four booklets, providing a better chance for the diehard fans to get season tickets. Not putting the single-game tickets on sale to the public until after the student ticket sale will also allow those students who didn't get tickets to purchase tickets to the games of their choice.
Student government has done its part. Now students must take advantage of the Ticket Share program and pack the Joyce Center for each home game. If that happens, more tickets will become available and these measures won't be necessary. Remember that the number of student tickets is half of what it was when Digger Phelps paced the Irish sideline. Until the Joyce Center gets renovated, nobody knows if that number of student tickets will increase, but packing each home game will be a statement to the ticket office and athletic department.
As the men's basketball program continues to grow under Irish head coach Mike Brey, this type of proactive change shows that student government recognized the increased student interest and did something reasonable and logical to foster it. When issues like these arrive in the future - issues that a lot of students feel strongly about - student government should remember its quick action with Ticket Share and find solutions that similarly alleviate problems that directly affect the student body.
