<p>LOL, by the way my son just called while I was editing and I told him how students get tickets if they want to go to games (his roommate did not buy a season ticket). His response…and i quote “that’s so wrong on so many levels.” I raised 'em “good :-)”</p>
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<p>Wow! I can’t think of the number of times that I have had season tickets to a series of events, but did not want to go to all of them. Your way I can buy “season” tickets, but only use the ones I want to go see and the season ticket seller will give me my money back. Where do I sign up!</p>
<p>“Imo, to buy student discounted ticket(s) with the intent to profit from resale is unethical.”</p>
<p>I’m not sure I would characterize this as unethical (enterprising maybe), but if it is unethical, the lack of ethics is on the part of the student, not on the part of the college/institution. I don’t think the college knows this to be true about every student purchaser. I think it is a reasonable expectation that the college believes the student will be using the tickets primarily for themselves and doesn’t have a moral obligation to ensure that the tickets are used in that way.</p>
<p>There are in fact “costs” to being the early purchaser of these limited, student discounted tickets, and one could argue that these costs are simply being recouped. Have you ever tried to get an in-demand ticket. It can mean hours on hold, repeated refreshing of a website, or hours standing on line. It also requires advance forethought and planning. So students who obtain these tickets have done some or all of these things, and I see little wrong with the upcharge. The price the students can charge is somewhat capped by the non-discounted ticket prices . . .which I assume are also available to be purchased by students.</p>
<p>It’s a sporting event we are talking about here - - not limited entry into something important, like a career fair.</p>
<p>p.s. Thank you OP for posting this thread. I think it is a fascinating discussion, and I have enjoyed reading the arguments on both sides of the fence.</p>
<p>I do not think a student reselling their ticket above or below market price is unethical … I also do not think the school organizing a market for these sales is unethical; they are creating an efficient market.</p>
<p>If anything in the situation is unethical IMO is the school limiting the number of student tickets and likely having the student tickets not be the best seats … so they can sell more seats to alums, boosters, and outsiders at a higher price. These are theoretically school events with students athletes … purposely limiting student tickets to maximize revenue is certainly legal but could be considered unethical.</p>
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<p>poetgrl – Does this offer apply to any non-current student who will cheer as avidly as the Carolina Fever section and stay until all the post-game announcements are over? If so, I will be glad to take you up on your offer. :)</p>
<p>The olden days were better. Having to camp out for tickets, plus the availability of much better student seating, ensured that the most enthusiastic fans were courtside.</p>
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<p>3togo – A big amen to your comment!</p>
<p>Well, you know, there’s another Division I basketball program eight miles down the road that reserves the entire lower bowl for students and doesn’t charge undergrads for tickets. Perhaps you should root for them instead. ;)</p>
<p>“If anything in the situation is unethical IMO is the school limiting the number of student tickets and likely having the student tickets not be the best seats … so they can sell more seats to alums, boosters, and outsiders at a higher price.”</p>
<p>Well, if it is a big state school, one could readily make the argument that the taxpaying public supporting the school is at least as entitled to attend games/purchase tickets as the students . . .Let’s be real. The tuition at some of these state schools doesn’t even cover the cost of educating the individual student . . .I don’t think students are per se entitled to sports tickets - - discounted or otherwise.</p>
<p>Ha! Some old guy. :p. as you know, I bleed Carolina blue. </p>
<p>Having some Allen and sons for lunch. Just FYI</p>
<p>D1 attended a really “big basketball school.” For big games, there was a lottery for student tickets. As far as I know, students didn’t pay for their tickets. She didn’t get tickets to the Duke game, but a friend of hers did and couldn’t go. He gave her the tickets at his cost (free) and she had great seats behind the bench. </p>
<p>Have things changed and they are now charging students to attend basketball games?</p>
<p>D2 goes to a big sports school and all they need to get a ticket is their student ID and no cash.</p>
<p>Finally, in the OP’s scenario, how is the University going to prevent the students from reselling their tickets to other students, no matter the price?</p>
<p>Unc does not charge for students. In some games there is a high demand and you have to enter the lottery. Some have no distribution and its just first in line.</p>
<p>But you can only get tix if you’ve paid your fees. In the lottery</p>
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<p>Sooooooo jealous. We’ve got about a month to go until parents’ weekend, but I’ll have to put Allen’s on the agenda.</p>
<p>Momofthreeboys: Please send your question in 
I am really interested what the “experts” would say.</p>
<p><a href=“Times Topics - The New York Times”>Times Topics - The New York Times;
<p>Ah, got it poetgirl. :)</p>
<p>So OP:</p>
<p>If your son’s school did a completely random lottery to give all students an equal chance to obtain tickets, how are they going to prevent students from selling their tickets to the less fortunate? How could the school possibly enforce a “ban” on selling tickets for profit?</p>
<p>The objection, I believe, is to the fact that the school is running the market online, but is still allowing the sale price to be set by the student. </p>
<p>It’s not kids in the hallway or kids in the parking lot.</p>
<p>Suppose I work in a retail clothing store. I am fortunate and get a 50% discount on clothes I buy. It would be unethical for me to buy a bunch of clothes intending to resell them at a profit. Illegal? Heck no. Why unethical? Because the store is giving me the discount intended as a perk in exchange for my service there. The store did not discount me so I could make money from selling their clothes.</p>
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<p>I agree with this distinction. A school is supposed to set higher standards.</p>
<p>Sorry I had to comment on the clothing comparison. It may not be illegal to sell clothes you got at a discount but it would get you fired. Any retail establishment I’ve worked for has a policy that you use your discount only for you and your household. I’ve worked places and at every one using your discount for a profit is a fire able offense. </p>
<p>Momofthreeboys, I agree with you. I didn’t understand at first but you can buy tickets and then sell them only to students at a profit sounds wrong to me. I know it happens, my nephew did it last year as his mom bought him football tix which he didn’t want and then sold at a profit. His mother didn’t make the same mistake this year.</p>
<p>Oh, I see. So the school is providing the means for the students to charge extra for their tickets. </p>
<p>Yeah, that’s kind of weird.</p>
<p>I don’t agree with the OP’s comments about “discrimination,” but I do see the point about the essentially sanctioned ticket scalping.</p>
<p>I could be wrong but I think that the student fees for this school are low because they do charge the students for football and basketball tickets. The university makes a lot of money selling tickets to students who then turn around and sell them for a profit. The university could decide not to charge students for tickets but then they would raise their student fees. There was a big debate on this here a while ago. How this is unfair to low income students that they are subsiding the athletic department.</p>