There’s almost nothing better than singing the alma mater while embracing friends after a hard fought basketball win in the Dean E. Smith Center.
But the paper that litters the floor of the Smith Center sometimes takes away from that experience. In the student section in particular, much of that paper is students’ tossed tickets, which they were required to print for admission.
This University prides itself on its many eco-friendly initiatives, initiatives that have led Carolina Dining Services to purchase 25 percent of its total food and beverage purchases from producers within a 250 mile radius and the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling to recover 18 tons of cardboard, 800 pounds of plastic and 520 pounds of Styrofoam for recycling during move-in weekends. Therefore, UNC should not rely on primitive paper tickets for entry to its basketball games.
An unnecessary reliance on paper products is incongruent with the University’s mission to “advance the triple bottom line of ecological integrity, economic prosperity and social equity.”
At the very least, the Department of Athletics should adopt electronic ticketing at its basketball games. Students without smartphones could still have the option of printing their tickets at home, but those with the technology could present their phones at the game to be scanned.
Ideally, the athletics department could work with the University’s Sustainability Office to develop a system that could send students’ lottery-won tickets to their UNC One Cards. These two departments should also develop a secure system for those students who wish to share their tickets with friends.
