THE DISTRIBUTION OF FOOTBALL TICKETS

Assistant Graduate Manager of Athletics

"There must be something wrong with the system of distribution of football tickets—because my tickets for the Harvard game have never been closer to the center of the field than the 25 yard line. . . . because Bill Jones got more tickets for the Chicago game than I did. . . . because last year I sat away up in the colonnade behind a cement post." Such statements and many similar remarks are the result of the recent growth of interest in the game of football and come from alumni bodies throughout the country to confront each college athletic administrator. When this growing interest is greatly augmented by a more appealing schedule or a successful team, then it becomes a real problem for the athletic management to find a solution to the question"How can the demand for football tickets by the alumni and student bodies be cared for satisfactorily ?" With these bodies ever increasing and with approximately the same number of seats available as in former years, it appears to be each year an increasingly harder problem to solve.

Some patience should be shown the alumnus whose contact with the athletic management has only recently been renewed after a period of eight or ten years. During that period there were no limitations either as to the number of tickets or as to their location connected with securing seats for the "big" games of a season. It was a simple matter, even a few days before the game, to exchange the necessary funds for reserved tickets in any location that was desired. True also, the whole management of athletics was cared for by a part-time Graduate Manager, assisted by an occasional student or two, and that the $40,000 receipts were insufficient to maintain a sport program with six coaches.

This is far different from the situation as it exists today. The total funds handled are many times greater than those of ten years ago. There are twenty-one sports in operation, carrying a coaching staff of twenty-odd experts. While in the fall season as many as twenty persons are employed for the handling of football tickets alone.

To meet this growth and its problems, there has evolved a system of ticket distribution. It soon became necessary to place some limitations upon the location of the seats requested and for the first time tickets were allotted according to preferences determined by a few rules but these were largely dependent upon the decision of one man—the Graduate Manager. This proved satisfactory until the task grew too large for one individual to carry and the work was forced to become impersonal through the injection, a few years ago, of formal application blanks and a routine to care for them. The next step, compelled by the ever-increasing demand, was to limit not only the possible location but also the total number of tickets that could be applied for. Even this radical departure of last year with its confining aspects failed to control sufficiently the demand. Dartmouth's liberal allotment of 21,000 seats at the Harvard game was over-subscribed by 8,000; at the Cornell game by 5,000 and at the Chicago game by 6,000. Thus it is obvious that the limits should become more strict as the demand increases.

This year's limit for the Harvard game will be four tickets and if each year brings a proportionate increase in the demand, it will only be a short while before two tickets or one ticket will be the limit for each alumnus desiring to attend the game.

However, as long as we have more than one ticket available for each individual, we must have a more elaborate system than would be necessary otherwise. This system will naturally change periodically to meet current conditions. The principles of this year's system follow very closely those fundamentals of the old which have been , thoroughly tried out and proved for the past several years.

1. In the case of applications received previous to a closing date, preference in the allotment of tickets will be determined not by priority in filing the application but by the classification into which the application falls, as outlined in the following paragraphs. Following theclosing date, applications will be filled in order of receipt from whatever tickets may remain after the original allotment has been made.

2. The application of a Dartmouth alumnus who is. to attend the game personally will be preferred over an application requesting tickets for non-personal use. In other words, Dartmouth's own family will be cared for first. This is a very vital and significant principle and should be treated with respect as well as sincere honesty by the alumni body. Should abuse of this principle cause its abolition, there would be absolutely nothing to insure a ticket for a Dartmouth alumnus who might desire to attend the game personally.

3. Other things being equal, applicants requesting the smaller number of tickets will be given preference in location. This is conceived to permit the greatest possible number of applicants to receive the better seats.

4. Classifications will be made for the purpose of extending privileges of extra seats, or preferred location, or both, in the following cases:

(a) UNDERGRADUATES AND FACULTY. Inasmuch as football contests are primarily undergraduate affairs, preferred locations will be granted to the students and faculty, who will as usual be grouped in the seats adjoining the center of the field.

(b) CLASS GROUPS. Because class unity and organization has such a significant place in the life of Dartmouth, it is felt that this should be fostered to some degree in the allotment of football tickets. Consequently an applicant for tickets for his personal use may have a limited number allotted with his class group in a preferred location. Thus a Dartmouth man may have reasonable assurance that he will be sitting among classmates rather than strangers.

(c) FOOTBALL "D" MEN. It is believed that men who have devoted many of their undergraduate days to the furthering of football and who for the most part are still actively interested in its development should receive some preference. For this group a limited number of personal-use seats are to be allotted in a preferred location.

(and) SERVICE LIST. It seems fair and reasonable that the men "in the service," so to speak, such as members of the team, coaches, etc., should be entitled to preferred locations and in some cases to extra seats.

(e) SPECIAL LIST. It is also believed that a small group of men such as the Trustees of the College, the President, members of the Alumni Council, members of the Athletic Council, etc., should receive the special consideration of obtaining a reasonable number of seats in a good location. This list will be kept to a minimum.

(f) HOLDERS OF LOCAL SEASON COUPONS. Recognition of faithful patronage of all of Dartmouth's athletic contests by the townspeople of Hanover and the nearby communities is shown by allowing the above class to participate to a certain degree in the allotment of tickets.

(g) In addition it is believed that the Graduate Manager in handling the business of the football season in its present magnitude should have a certain limited discretion, beyond any hard and fast rules, in extending the application privilege as a matter of courtesy or in recognition of obligations when obviously desirable.

The following order of priority in the allotment of football tickets will be used:

GROUP I. A. Students of the College; Cheering section by class—one seat only. B. Service list No. 1, 2, 3; Preferred tickets only. C. Special list; Preferred tickets only. D. Football "D" section; Preferred tickets only.

GROUP 11. A. Students of the College; Mixed section by over two. B. Faculty of the College; Preferred tickets only. C. Alumni of the College; Class groups only.

D. Service list No. 4; Preferred tickets only.

E. Students of the College; Family section—not over four.

F. Holders of local season coupons; Personal-use applications only.

GROUP 111. A. Students of the College; Other personaluse applications. B. Special list; Other personal-use

applications. C. Service list; Other personal-use

applications. D. Faculty of the College; Other personaluse applications. E. Alumni of the College; Other personaluse applications.

GROUP IV. A. Students of the College; Non-personal applications. B. Special list; Non-personal applications. C. Faculty of the College; Non-personal applications. D. Alumni of the College; Non-personal applications.

Dartmouth graduates are confronted this year with a new type of application blank which, it is hoped, will make the work of applying much easier. Complete directions as to its use are printed on the blank and on the Information Circular. Only those applicants reading and following out the rules as printed can be assured of the proper consideration of their requests. It is a single application blank for each game instead of the double and triple type of other years. Thus it is hoped to prevent errors arising from the improper choice of form, as well as insure greater fairness should it become necessary to prorate. Then too, each blank will be stenciled with the name and address of the individual entitled to use it. This should aid in preventing unlawful use and errors in the interpretation of handwriting.

The alumni are urged and expected to use the regulation form and make their appeals directly to the Football Ticket Department. In the past some alumni have applied for tickets via the secretary of their class or some other alumnus in Hanover. This has never resulted in special consideration and in the future will cause a delay in the filing of the application which may make it impossible to secure any tickets at all.

Applications may be either for personal use or not, according to the answer to the personaluse clause. Personal-use obligates the applicant to occupy one of the seats himself or return all tickets received under such an agreement. Applications will be considered as nonpersonal unless otherwise indicated.

An applicant who indicates personal-use may elect to have a limited number of tickets allotted to one, and only one, of the following preferred locations : Class, Football "D," Service, Special, Faculty, according to his privilege —in which case the remainder of the tickets applied for will be allotted in a section preferred over that assigned to non-personal applications. When none of the above groups is chosen, the tickets will be allotted in a section preferred over that assigned to non-perscnal applications.

The enormous amount of internal handling has necessitated moving each closing date ahead a few days. The closing date will nowbe the Wednesday two weeks preceding thescheduled date of the game. This is better than a single closing date early in the fall for all games. The move should not cause any additional hardship, while on the other hand it will increase the efficiency of internal handling with its resulting benefits to the alumni body.

It will be necessary to continue to limit the number of tickets for which an individual may apply. In setting the limits we consider it preferable to be liberal even to the extent of making prorating necessary rather than to be niggardly and then have seats left over which would have to be disposed of by public sale. We hope to avoid disappointments which prorating may entail, and to that end we have based this year's limits upon the number of tickets each class of applicants actually received during the past two seasons.

The sending of a card acknowledging the receipt of an application has been abolished. In the past this service has allowed many possibilities for error which have caused endless and unnecessary correspondence. Furthermore, it is felt that the common practice by the applicants of using their business envelopes and personal checks sufficiently assures them that their applications will be received.

In order to avoid dealing with a third person, tickets both personal and non-personal will be mailed only to the Dartmouth alumnus to whom the application is issued, although his mailing address may, for convenience, be changed.

It is expected that the alumni will appreciate the magnitude of the work of ticket distribution and cooperate under the existing body of rules for the good of all. In the final analysis the system belongs to each alumnus. It has been set up for his protection and it is for his best self-interest to abide by it. He should see the impossibility of granting petty requests, such as those for particular location, the early mailing of tickets, the combining of applications once filed, and information as to who of a certain class have filed applications. The work of allotting must of itself be impersonal and when once started remain routine and, for the good of all, kept going at top speed.

Then, too, the Dartmouth graduate must realize the actual physical conditions which determine seat locations. For instance, of the twenty-one sections in the Stadium that are available for Dartmouth at the game with Harvard, but nine sections are between the goal lines and three sections between the 35-yard lines. Under whatever system of distribution is adopted three out of five must be seated beyond the goal lines. There are 14,000 alumni and students who have the right to apply for seats. Supposing that but 7,000 of these ap- ply, that no preference whatever is given to players, coaches, or undergraduates, either as to location or number of seats, and that each applicant is allowed but three seats, the most any Dartmouth man could reasonably expect would be that twice in five years the law of chance might locate him in the Stadium on the side of the field between the goal posts, and only once in ten years within the 35-yard lines and even then he might be behind the colonnade. Then allow each student a preference of one seat near the center of the field, and now the law of chance might locate the alumnus between the goal posts once in three years and within the 35-yard lines only once in twenty-five years. It is evident that unless an alumnus accepts these physical facts, no plan of distribution can satisfactorily solve the seating problem.

It is conceivable that in dealing with 10,000 people in such a mass manner, some individuals will feel, either from actual experience or from rumor, that injustice is being done. In either case, an appeal should be made directly to the Football Ticket Department in Hanover. There is nothing secretive about the system nor the methods employed. Detailed, information will be gladly given. Experience has shown that nine times out of ten such cases have arisen from misunderstanding or lack of appreciation of the sizeable job encountered in the endeavor to "satisfactorily care for the demands for football tickets of the alumni and student body."