Lost, replaced CarolinaCards made up majority of issues.
In its first test, a revised student ticketing system experienced few hiccups at the Aug. 29 football game against UNC.
Almost all of the ticketing issues were faced by students who had replaced their CarolinaCards after 4 p.m. Aug. 28, after the Student Athletic Tickets Office pulled the final set of data from the CarolinaCard system, according to Anna Edwards, director of student services.
“As you can imagine, everyone lost their card Wednesday night,” Edwards said. “We shouldn’t have that issue again until next year when we play (Texas) A&M on a Thursday night.”
The ticketing office typically pulls CarolinaCard data on Friday afternoons before Saturday games. Since the CarolinaCard office is closed Saturdays, students who lose their CarolinaCards between Friday afternoons and Saturday games cannot replace their cards before the following Monday.
Edwards said between 150 and 200 students had replaced their CarolinaCards between 4 p.m. Wednesday and game time Thursday. Those students had to wait until after kickoff for remaining unused tickets to be manually transferred onto their CarolinaCards.
But with minimal issues facing the ticketing system, Edwards said the focus is now on making sure ticket holders get to the game.
“We had 8,300 student tickets issued for the lower deck, and students who didn’t attend and didn’t cancel will not be eligible for the rest of the season, which hopefully will make those tickets available to students who want to be there,” Edwards said.
About 880 students with lower deck tickets and 600 students with upper deck tickets didn’t show up for the UNC game. That’s not an abnormal amount, according to Edwards. But a consistent level of no-shows may affect student ticketing in the long-run.
“There’s always a high interest and high demand for tickets, and when we’re not able to translate it to students actually coming to the game, it’s harder to lobby for additional tickets and better seats,” Edwards said.
Despite a hot early evening, Edwards said many students stuck around until late in the game, when a rain delay forced many to leave.
“I was pretty impressed towards the end of the third quarter to see the student section full,” Edwards said. “Everyone knows that’s where students sit, so when it’s full, we get positive feedback. When it’s empty, we get complaints.”
Droves of students left before halftime at last year’s blazing home opener against ECU, which drew criticism from fellow fans and even head football coach Steve Spurrier.
In ticketing forums and discussions with students last year, Edwards and Student Ticketing Coordinator Adrienne White suggested possible solutions to encourage students to stay, including prizes, additional loyalty points and charging for tickets. USC is currently one of two schools in the Southeastern Conference that does not charge for student tickets, and the only public institution that does not charge. Vanderbilt University, a private institution, also does not charge for student tickets.