Confusing process, unfair seat assignments complicate student gameday experience 
For many of us here at USC, football season is the highlight of our school year. All decked out in garnet and black, we gather together to cheer on our favorite team and dance to "Sandstorm" after every touchdown. Unfortunately for many students, the newly implemented ticketing system has made the process of getting tickets more confusing than ever.
The previous ticketing system entered the students into a lottery determining what tickets, if any, each student would receive for each game. On the other hand, this new system divides the student body into three sections for the entire season: the students who are awarded lower deck tickets, upper deck tickets, and those who do not get student tickets at all.
Students who do not receive season tickets are able to claim a single-game ticket during the upcoming week before the game. This hardly seems fair given the fact that students with the same loyalty points as their peers are held at such a great disadvantage for a whole season. Furthermore, students who gain tickets in the upper deck are forced to sit there every game rather than having a chance to claim a lower deck spot. Even those fortunate enough to claim the lower deck tickets must admit that it seems a little unfair that they have to separate from their friends who are sent to the upper deck or not allowed in at all. The old system, while it had its flaws, at least gave fans a fair chance every game to get good seats rather than only allowing a select lucky group a chance of a better view.
The students who did not receive tickets were not the only ones who missed the game this past weekend due to the new system. Even students who had season tickets were denied entry due to some technical difficulty with the CarolinaCards. They were forced to watch their friends go in and were sent to wait in a long line in front of the ticketing office with many other confused fans. Those who patiently waited were eventually told they would only be allowed into the upper deck section, even though their season tickets were for the lower deck. Many of these students were extremely discouraged that they not only missed a great portion of the game, but also were not allowed the tickets they were promised. There has still been no apology or explanation as to why this occurred, which leaves us all concerned that this may happen again next game. While it is very common for new systems to have issues in the beginning, I can't help but notice that this new system, which is supposed to be making the process easier, is actually doing the complete opposite.
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