Backlash from students, governor forces U to back off ticket policy

The University of Minnesota has abruptly backed away from a season ticket policy that forced students to buy seats for other sports they did not want after scathing criticism from the governor and student leaders.

DFL Gov. Mark Dayton called and wrote university President Eric Kaler on Friday morning, saying he was "appalled" to learn about the school's new ticket sales system. He urged Kaler to end it.

"The Legislature and I did not provide the additional funding for the University to freeze students' tuitions … so that you could invent other ways to increase their costs," Dayton wrote.

The so-called ticket bundling forced U students who wanted to buy season hockey or basketball tickets to buy the slower-selling football season tickets, too. The top-of-the-line Gold Package costs students $258, and includes a seat for men's basketball, men's hockey and football.

Students rallied against the policy, saying it was unfair and overpriced. The U's Student Senate unanimously passed a measure Thursday opposing the bundling policy, and the Minnesota Student Association was set to weigh in next week.

Student Senate Chairwoman Valkyrie Jensen applauded the governor's response.

"We really appreciate Gov. Dayton looking out for student interests," she said.

The U's Athletics Department released a statement after the governor's letter Friday saying it will return to last year's policy, which allowed early-bird students to choose between buying season tickets for individual sports or bundling hockey or basketball with football.

"We continually strive to serve all of our students who want to attend Gopher athletic events and this new policy was intended to accomplish that," the statement said.

Kaler could not be reached for comment.

Dayton supported the change.

"I'm glad they followed my urging to discontinue this ill-considered scheme," he said late Friday.

The U had touted the policy as a reward for loyal fans, a message it continued to broadcast even after pulling back.

"The University of Minnesota Athletics Department offered discounted multiple-sport season-ticket packages for the 2014-15 school year to make it possible for our most engaged students to attend the sporting events they desired at a discounted price," the Athletics Department statement said.

But opponents — including Dayton — said the policy seemed to be about more than just rewarding fans.

"The stated and implied purposes of this new scheme are to increase football attendance and to raise money," Dayton said in his letter to Kaler. He added that he believes the best way to increase attendance is to play "outstanding football."

At the U, the bundling policy did help sales. More than 6,200 student season tickets for football have been sold this year. Ticket sales had dropped from 5,780 in 2011 to 3,885 in 2012 and 4,975 in 2013, according to Gopher Athletics.

But having a ticket doesn't guarantee attendance. Of those who bought the hockey-football package this year, 25 percent haven't yet attended a football game, though that could change once the team starts playing regular season, Big Ten Conference games at home.

In recent years, student football attendance has been a challenge across the conference, and it's pushed schools to come up with new ways to woo students.

In 2012, Indiana University rolled out a system that rewarded student fans loyal to football and men's basketball with points they could trade for priority seating.

The University of Michigan last year replaced its seniority system with general student seating for football games — an incentive for students to arrive before kickoff — but backtracked after facing student opposition.

"We're trying almost anything to get students to games," said Chris Peludat, assistant athletic director for marketing and ticketing at Purdue University.

The school sells a $250 VIP pass to students, allowing access to any regular season home game. Pass sales have been driven by basketball — student basketball tickets are only available through the pass which, until this year, always sold out.

Still, "basketball will probably be OK," Peludat said. It's football that's the real concern.

"Obviously, nobody has to leave their dorms anymore to get games on TV," he said.

Emma Nelson • 952-746-3287