Recently I came across the University's season ticket brochure for the upcoming 2008 football season. Having nothing better to do between classes, I read it cover to cover (granted, it was only eight pages and mostly pictures). You wouldn't think reading something like this would leave someone frustrated, but that's the effect it had on me. Why? The University changed its policy on how it assigns seats to season-ticket holders, and it wasn't a change for the better. Let me quote the brochure's description of the new policy:
"Season tickets will be selected or assigned first, to Virginia Athletics Foundation donors based on annual giving levels and overall priority points and second, to donors between $1-$99 and to non-donors based on their longevity as season ticket holders (up to 20 years)."
What does this all mean? Season ticket "prices" aren't really "prices" at all, because to get better seats, you've got to spend more money.
The new policy breaks down like this. Members of Group A get to pick their seating locations first, followed by members of Group B. Then, seats are assigned to members of group C, and the remaining seats are assigned to members of group D. The projected seats for Groups A and B are between the 20-yard lines, mostly on the lower level, while Group C gets the goal lines in the lower bowl and between the 20-yard lines in the upper deck. Group D gets stuck with the corners of the stadium and behind the south end zone on the lower level, and upper level seats around the south end zone. In other words, it's great to be in Group A, good to be in group B, OK to be in Group C and not so desirable to be in Group D.
So, how do you get into Group A? Simply donate $6,200 or more per year to the Athletics Foundation. Can't afford that? Oh, well you can still be in Group B if you can cough up between $2,500 to $6,199 per year. If that's too steep, then say goodbye to the ability to pick your seats! You can still purchase your way into Group C with a minimum contribution of $100, thus allowing you to get better seats than the Group D members, who might not be able to afford anything more than the cost of season tickets.
This all seems very unfair to me, and here's an example of how someone gets screwed. A season-ticket holder for the past 10 years has had two seats each year for him and his wife and has also donated $75 a year to the Athletics Foundation because he loves Virginia sports but cannot donate any more than that. He has had good seats in the past, but now, because of the new policy, he gets shoved all the way to the back of the pack, as he is placed in Group D. Sure, he might be towards the front of the Group D line because of 10 consecutive years of buying season tickets, but his seats are assigned to him (he doesn't get to pick), and he is treated as less important than a first-year season ticket holder who donates $100 or more (on top of ticket costs). There's even a chance he'll get stuck with nosebleed seats in the corner of the end zone, which are probably the worst seats in the house.
The brochure also says this:
"The new policy was designed to create a more equitable process for assigning tickets and to allow for the continued growth and success of the Athletics Department. The policy will allow donors to improve their seat location based on annual contribution level and overall priority points."
Frankly, I don't see how this is more equitable for season-ticket holders, as the policy simply rewards those who can afford to donate more. The statement above admits that better seats come with bigger donations, and since priority points are not assigned to non-donors, it seems impossible for season-ticket holders to get good seat locations unless they can literally "buy into the system."
I admit I might not understand all the nooks and crannies of this new policy, but something about it seems wrong to me. People who have had season tickets should be able to keep their seats as long as they renew their plans every year, regardless of how much they donate. These people have been loyal to the school, and how does the school reward their loyalty? By giving them an ultimatum: Give more money, or risk losing your seats.
As a Virginia sports fan, I agree that we need the VAF to thrive in order to provide the maximum allowed number of student-athlete scholarships, and the more money it has, the more it can also give to academic programs and facility maintenance. But I do not think it should endeavor to raise extra funds at the expense of loyal season-ticket holders.
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