Q&A with CAA president candidate Brandon Finch

The Daily Tar Heel’s editorial board posed these questions to each of the candidates. Here are their unedited responses:

Q: How do you think the ticket policy is working? What would you change? What can you change?

A: I believe the ticket policy this year has not allowed for the maximization of student attendance. This is a tragedy when UNC boasts the most successful basketball program in the nation.

When students only receive one ticket through the lottery, several problems can occur:

• Students’ friends might not have the same phase as them, which creates problems for deciding when to enter the Smith Center.
• None of their friends could have received a ticket and because many students don’t feel comfortable going to the game alone or safe walking home by themselves, they simply decide not to go.

In regards to what I would change and what I can change to the student ticket policy, I believe that revamping the ticket policy shouldn’t be dealt with behind closed doors. I want to be able to present a concrete form of student opinion when deciding the student policy with the Athletic Department. My overall goal for revamping the policy is to better the atmosphere of the Smith Center, by allowing students to sit with their friends while finding a solution to maximize student attendance. Through this revised policy, I hope to foster the continued excitement and enthusiasm for the best basketball program in the nation.

As President of the Carolina Athletic Association, a large proportion of the decision to alter a ticket policy would be placed on my shoulders. Changes can be made to the ticket policy, but I feel it is imperative to obtain as much student feedback before making any decisions. It is my job a student leader to represent the entire student body and decide what the students want and need in a revised ticket policy.

I want to create a student task force filled with varying undergraduates and graduate students to decide the best policy. I will present several options including an elimination of the phase system, return to two tickets and general admission for early non-conference games. As these students will represent the student body, we can together decide the best student ticket policy for all students at the University of North Carolina.

Q: Much of this year’s focus has been on the lack of student attendance at basketball games. Do you see this as a problem? What would you do to fix this?

A: I absolutely see the lack of student attendance at basketball games as a problem, a catastrophe even. In order to achieve my goal of allowing students to sit with their friends while maximizing student attendance, I believe we need to move away from the current ticket policy towards a revised policy that could include, but is not limited to a return to the 2-ticket policy, an elimination of the phase system, and/or general admission for some non-conference games. Regardless of what policy we move towards, it is imperative to collect solid student opinion to present as evidence of the entire student input. I will do this by:

• Creating a student ticket task force composed of both undergraduate and graduate students.
• Conducting a student survey and hosting student forums at the conclusion this year’s basketball season to analyze the faults of the current system, and perception of feasible future options.