CAA's policies come under fire

The outrage several students have expressed regarding the amount of basketball tickets distributed Saturday has put the spotlight on the Carolina Athletic Association, the organization that has borne the brunt of the attacks.

Many of those suffering from distribution disillusionment have accused the association of providing misleading information about the number of tickets that were available. CAA officials had said that between 4,000 and 6,000 tickets would be available Saturday.

CAA President Lindsay Strunk maintains that the organization is not trying to deceive the student body.

To give students a better idea of their chances of receiving tickets, Strunk said, the group is "trying to come up with an exact number for future distributions."

Officials have yet to disclose how many tickets will be available at this Saturday's distribution.

Strunk explained that there are a host of mitigating factors that affect the number of tickets available for distribution, all of which were at work last Saturday.

For conference games, roughly 6,000 tickets are reserved for students, and for nonconference games and the Maryland game, there are about 4,000, said Clint Gwaltney, assistant athletic director for the Smith Center and ticket operations.

The number of tickets reserved for students includes those awarded to the band, Carolina Fever, members of CAA and students in the Ceiling Fan program, Gwaltney explained.

By the time each of these groups has taken its cut, he said, the number of tickets actually available for distribution is significantly lower.

Strunk added that the number also is affected by sales of mini season ticket packages.

The CAA is working with Student Congress to improve the process, Strunk said. The organizations have been looking at models used at other schools, including the universities of Maryland, Kansas and Kentucky.

Strunk emphasized, however, that any changes would involve extensive research and effective cooperation among all parties involved.

While the Department of Athletics has not been called on to participate in the process, Gwaltney shares Strunk's sentiments. "We want to get as many students into the games as we can," he said.

Many students agree with the CAA's efforts.

"I just feel like there should be more student seating available," said Jonathan Park, a junior public policy major.

Liz Sessler, a junior public policy major, echoed Park's sentiments. "I think there are a lot of students out there who'd like to go to games but don't get the opportunity," she said.

Park added that although he recognizes that alumni provide the funds, "we're the ones attending the school right now."

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.