Randomizing the entrance lines for Sunday’s basketball game against Florida State was one way to try to encourage students to stop cutting in line.
However, the idea was poorly executed and the UNC ticket office should have warned students in advance that this would happen. This resulted in students showing up early and waiting in line for no good reason — echoes of the Morrison Residence Hall tent snafu abound.
The randomization was part of a trial run by the ticket office to determine if this process should take place prior to all men’s varsity basketball games next season.
Johnathan Flynn, president of the Carolina Athletic Association, told the DTH that the policy, which has been used for Duke games in the past, was enacted for this game because the office received complaints about students cutting in line for the N.C. State game.
Although cutting in line is a valid problem, this is not the way to go about fixing it. Randomizing the line without prior warning is not fair to the many students who wait hours upon hours just to get a good seat.
Instead of rewarding the students who appear to be the most passionate about and devoted to UNC basketball, it capriciously punishes them.
The people who arrive the earliest and put the most effort in should get the better seats, as this contributes to the overall team spirit and energy of the game.
Randomizing lines two or three hours before entrance would reward those who show up early after that, and discourage students from showing up earlier and earlier to get a good spot.
