Look, don't believe the hype! Songer knows changes need to be made in the CAA and he has the experience to make them.
Tired of wondering if the Duke ticket distribution was rigged so that you didn't have a fair shot at tickets to the biggest game of your life? Songer promises to hold the drawing for the winning ticket distribution number live in the Pit next year, not holed away in a secret room. As The Daily Tar Heel Editor Matt Dees said in a column last week, "The bottom line is that something stinks." Songer will ensure that any interested person can come to the Pit and watch the number get picked right in front of their own eyes.
Tired of waiting in line for four hours on Saturday morning only to not get tickets or to need a telescope to see the court? Songer will institute a staggered ticket distribution -- you will know when to show up at the Smith Center ahead of time and will get your ticket in less than one hour.
Tired of being 450th in line and not getting lower-level seats? Next year, Songer promises to distribute 300 more lower level tickets for every game. How? Songer has repeatedly promised not to take the pile of lower-level seats given to the CAA president. His opponent has never pledged not to hoard all these tickets from students.
Through his experience in the CAA Cabinet, Songer has also seen that some positions in CAA are entirely unnecessary. Instead of sticking his friends in these cushy positions so they can get CAA basketball tickets, Songer will eliminate the spots and return the tickets to the student body.
Tired of a special interest group that makes up 2 percent of UNC students (Carolina Fever) getting about 14 percent of the lower-level tickets to every game? Songer will give all students an equal chance to get basketball tickets, regardless of the organizations, jobs, classes or other activities they devote their time to. That means the 170 Fever tickets will be given out at distribution on Saturdays. Tired of the only memorable event of Homecoming Week coming when Outkast's microphones screw up? Songer has already made contacts with several promoters and is working to bring a big-time event to UNC for Homecoming next fall.
It's no accident that Songer was endorsed by the DTH and the Black Student Movement and Jason Capel and soccer All-American Jena Kluegel. Songer is standing up to a powerful special interest group (Carolina Fever) to do what is best for the entire student body. He has received several death threats, dozens of late-night prank phone calls and about 30 truly hateful e-mails. And that's not to mention having his name dragged through the mud in the slanderous and inaccurate e-mail sent to more than 5,000 students the night before the first CAA election.
The e-mail was so slanderous and illegal that the Board of Elections took the bold step of calling for an entirely new election.
Still don't think that Songer wants to change the CAA? Consider this: The current president, vice president and former vice president of CAA are all supporting Songer's opponent. Is the CAA establishment terrified of Songer because he will institute a truly honest ticket distribution system and stop the free flow of tickets among the clique of CAA Cabinet members?
