To the Editor:

The recent articles in both the Daily and Register about Coach McCarney wanting more student support, and the athletic department being under budget gave me an idea:

What better time than now to encourage students to attend home football games. Offer free admission, with no ticket required, for all current students. For those who bought season tickets, provide a refund. For those games which might sell out, give the students free access to standing room only spots.

This might cost the athletic department about $100k in lost student ticket passes, but would be a great way for the department to show the students its commitment to producing an exciting team. I know I for one would probably go to a few games if this were the situation. How many of us get up Saturday, around 11, and just sit around and do nothing? If the weather’s nice, why not instead of sitting around watching the boob tube, go watch the Cyclones play. Who cares if they win or lose? It was free!!

My first 2 years here, I was one of the few who actually purchased season tickets. After hearing two years of “this year we will be good”, I finally gave up. I was loyal, but felt betrayed by a department who said they needed my support, but then raised ticket prices and stuck me up in the upper balcony. ISU needs to remember that students are their customer. They won’t come out of a sense of responsibility. You need to make them come. Hell, try this for one game … tell all students they can come for free. Just show your ID at the gate, and grab an empty seat, or sit in the grass.

If you can’t make that commitment, here’s a final idea: sell student tickets, but at the end of the year, give a full or partial refund to any student who attended every game.

Just my 2 cents. What do I know about football anyways … I’m from Nebraska.

Jeff Echtenkamp

Graduate Student

Computer Engineering