On behalf of the "drunk sorority girl"

You (student section) lost my support for your cause when I remembered the MANY games that damn section was empty in patches.

Sorry, I have no sympathy for those who don't show up when they have tickets at a discounted price. As someone who is about to go on the waiting list for Section 23 (now a $600 annual donation, x2 which is $1200), I have a right to be annoyed. I'm just thankful I have the funds to be on the damn list.

Love the noise you guys bring, but there is none when the seats are empty. Damn.

I have a question for the "shrink the student section!" contingent on this blog. How do you differentiate between a ticket order from a student that will show up and one from a student that won't? If the purpose of shrinking the student section is to reduce no-shows, how do you ensure that the seats you eliminate are the seats of people that wouldn't have shown up? 

I recall plenty of drunk sorority girls from '87-'90. In fact, very pleasant memories. Ahem. Anyway... I wonder if some of the empty seats issue can be traced to the current requirement that nonstudents must validate student tix. Seemed like it was easier to unload the games you couldn't or wouldn't go to when the potential buyer wasn't faced with a hefty surcharge. As a result, more folks were able to buy and use student section tix.

Rutgers policy on no-shows.

• Students are limited in the number of times per season and the total number of times while enrolled as students that they can be a no-show for games.
• Students who accumulate two (2) no-shows in one football season will be ineligible to claim tickets for the remainder of the season.
• Students who accumulate five (5) total no-shows in football while enrolled as a student will be ineligible to claim tickets for the remainder of their time as students.

Doesn't quite address re-selling seats of late people and maybe relegating them to SRO (found this one while trying to search the web for anyone implementing such a system), but still...you're getting to buy season tix at a discount vs. those a few sections away, just GA now.

Hasn't our parents generation fleeced the younger generations enough?

You already have all of our future dollars maxed out on your current credit cards. You have tossed our educations away. Now you want to take our lower priced seats?

Hey thanks guys. Instead of pillaging to obtain your weath you found a new and easier way; steal from your future generations. Well, done sirs.

Oh and thanks again! Thanks so very much.

I'm disappointed, I was hoping a drunk sorority girl would show up to "defend her besties and main betches LOL XOXOXOXO like totes!"

The levels of ether dropped on her would be radioactive

they weren't very good.

The pro-GA crowd has plenty of good points, but I'm getting really tired of this all out assault on students in general. Most of the students are pretty good fans and if you took the student section out completely, going to noon Michigan games against cupcake opponents would have the energy of a golf tournament.

/ducks for cover from outraged alums prepping the flamebaits

Oh my goodness, you damn college kids bug me big time. First, you can't play devils advocate after you state that you act complicity in the opposite way. Your argument is nullified. Secondly, this issue is no longer a "fair" question. If the AD studies the issue, and evidence points to on average or in one game upwards or equal to 5400 students were not showing up by kickoff or at all, this now becomes a "equitable" situation. Simply, the student sections becomes a single "entity" and an equitable policy is applied.



We don't care about your plight, since you created the issue. The AD has feed the monster for too long. That's a fair criticism, but only to a degree. Are you a fan and supporter of te UofM FB team or not? Do you want them to succeed or not? Do you believe in the "big house traditions or not?



Last year they made a corrective action, the students didn't oblige with the HAIL - which was granted a shoddy attempt. This year they are changing policies and procedures and re-establishing an expectation for the SS. That is life. Deal.



All this doesn't matter...I can tell you peeps who don't show or come late, you pissed off the wrong people. If powerful alumni are pressing the AD to make this change, they will do it since their money directly effects the whole AD and UofM.

happened a couple of years ago.  I was trying to help a friend in a wheelchair get into the stadium.  We avoided the south end because it was so congested.  In approaching the areas around those north gates, there was an even much more crowded and congested scene.

It took us a half an hour to be expedited into the stadium and we barely made the kickoff, forget the pregame.

My point is that there were thousands of students backed up and many more coming in from Main, State and Maynard (??).  It was pandemonium.   I'm sure that it took another half hour or even more for most of them to get inside the stadium.  

The problem (as we old farts are perceiving) might be caused by some very real conditions:  

1. The prime seats from the students' pointo of view are the lower rows.  It looks terrific on the monitors!  But there are at least twice as many students in that congested, preferred area.  This may account for some of the empty rows in the nose-bleed rows.  I don't think that changing to GA is going to address this and might even make it worse.
2. Many students don't arrive until 15 minutes before kickoff and maybe they won't because they hate to leave the tailgates earlier.
3. There really aren't enough gates to handle the last minute arrivals.  You really wouldn't believe the crowd.  Something could be done about this in my opinion.

They are often late, but they are loud.

Non-students are often on time, but they are mute.

Both classes of fans have their benefits and drawbacks.

We need the students to spend the first quarter doing shots of shitty vodka at a house party so that they can show up at halftime and yell really loud in the fourth quarter.  We NEED these late, drunk fans just as badly, if not more, than we need the grey-haired punctual grumblers.

Also, if we are going to penalize students for being late, why not penalize the old grumpy people for leaving too early?  How many times have you seen people leaving when Michigan was down a few points at the end of the game but still had an outside chance of coming back?  More often than not, it's not the students leaving, but the pessimistic curmudgeons worrying about getting stuck in a crowded parking area.  So here's my proposal: let's charge people $10 at the exit gate if they want to leave before the clock says 0:00.  All proceeds go to Brandon's Domino's private jet fund.

happened a couple of years ago.  I was trying to help a friend in a wheelchair get into the stadium.  We avoided the south end because it was so congested.  In approaching the areas around those north gates, there was an even much more crowded and congested scene.

It took us a half an hour to be expedited into the stadium and we barely made the kickoff, forget the pregame.

My point is that there were thousands of students backed up and many more coming in from Main, State and Maynard (??).  It was pandemonium.   I'm sure that it took another half hour or even more for most of them to get inside the stadium.  

The problem (as we old farts are perceiving) might be caused by some very real conditions:  

1. The prime seats from the students' pointo of view are the lower rows.  It looks terrific on the monitors!  But there are at least twice as many students in that congested, preferred area.  This may account for some of the empty rows in the nose-bleed rows.  I don't think that changing to GA is going to address this and might even make it worse.
2. Many students don't arrive until 15 minutes before kickoff and maybe they won't because they hate to leave the tailgates earlier.
3. There really aren't enough gates to handle the last minute arrivals.  You really wouldn't believe the crowd.  Something could be done about this in my opinion.

Ford posters over their beds?

Not sure what that means...one of the following I guess...

Just ask yourself, when you are standing in line for the front row seat , "WWLBD".   What Would Lloyd Brady Do?   Be the first in line?  I bet he would.

In regards to the non-Notre Dame non-OSU opponent not being worth getting to the game on time, let's take a look at how different that attitude used to be. 

Here is the pregame show from the 1983 Northwestern game.  In those days, the Wildcats were ten times worse than what Indiana is today.  Coming into this game, Northwestern had lost 74 of their previous 81 games.  But look at the crowd.  Full student section.  In fact there's a closeup of the packed student section singing the Victors at 2:31.    The only empty seats are in the visitors end zone....

Back in the "old" days, an opponent like Northwestern, which was the laughing stock of college football, didn't matter when it came to getting to the game.  How nice that was.   

I get that 7 wins is "dark" for Michigan football standards. But, 2010 was great compared to my first years, 2008 and 2009. Holy shit you don't even know what "dark" is   

As a non-UM student at a school with general admittance for all students, I can attest to the fact that the policy works pretty well.  For a big game, you will have to get there early, but for the most part it works fine.

I do wonder what used to happen to students who studied abroad in the fall.  I went abroad my junior year, and it sounds like under the previous system I would have been punished for that, even though I attended every game that occurred while I was on campus.

PS - From experience, people will probably just send one of their friends early to claim good seats.

I am a recent grad, as a student I made every home game in 4 years, and I have loved Michigan football since I was born.

First know that I am for a change in the system, I hated get moved by people showing up late as a freshman and sophomore and I hate that the student section looks empty at kickoff. It's embarassing! I hate it!

Because of this I have always said they should scan when students get their and the next year your ticket location is based upon your attendance and arrival time.

However, let me explain why I am tired of reading these threads and listening to people on this blog whine about the student section. Here are the things I'm sick of hearing: "life isn't fair" in response to seniors who are getting royally screwed or "if you're a real fan you'll forget about tailgating", or "get there the night before and get front row seats."

All of these arguments are complete crap for one major reason, they are admitting that this new system sucks too. All of you bitch about the BCS, the leaders and legends names, Maryland and rutgers, ect., ect (and for good reason), and I believe Brian and some of you come

up with good changes to these very flawed systems. So, if I was to tell you the bcs was changing to a new system where the two best teams chosen by coaches poll would decide the national championship would you all say "wow what a great idea"? No, because although it may be better, it may not, it didn't solve the damn problem of no fair playoff! How about if I said we added Missouri and Iowa st instead of rutgers and Maryland, who would be happy? No one! So quit saying this is better for this or that reason when the plain fact of the matter is this new system sucks! Sure it might be a little better than the last one but it still SUCKS!

We know what would work, and that's the system Brian has said for years (scanning attendance and time of arrival).

Also, if I hear that it works at psu one more time I'll scream because I have friends that love psu football and HATED that system. Plus, they had different sections for seniors, juniors, ect. So it's not even the same. And anyone who says Michigan state does it so we should, all I will say to you is... This is Michigan fergodsakes!

Now, to anyone who says "DB could make way more money by making the student section smaller, and the tickets are sold to students are sold way below face value, so don't whine about the price increase" here are my responses:

You know how else we could make more money?

UNIFORMZ and ADS IN THE BIG HOUSE. That's a terrible argument!

You know what else is undervalued?

The "salary" of the football players! Pay the football players what they earn and students can be forced to pay full price.



Finally, for all of you saying the student section is too empty at kickoff (I agree), the student section isn't very loud (I disagree) and this system is going to change these for the better (I believe they both suck) here is what I have to say to you. You know who is really quiet, everyone outside the student section! I don't care how empty the student section is, it's way more of a home field advantage than all the old people who don't make any noise. You want to kick them out too? Make their seating like the students? Or do they spend enough $ to give them the option of being terrible fans while the students who pay 20 to 55 thousand dollars a year get kicked out? This football team is part of the university of Michigan. Guess what keeps that university open and allows it to have a football team, the STUDENTS. So cut them a break.



/end rant