Only 24 students were able to secure a guest ticket for this weekend's Whitehouse game, something student government thinks should be addressed.
Because of the limited availability of student tickets over the ticket exchange, guest tickets are no longer being sold, Associate Athletic Director Greg Myford said. Guest tickets are normally sold from Tuesday through Thursday at the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office.
"We're not going to make guest tickets available for Iowa on Wednesday and Thursday," Myford said. "We want to make it available to Penn State students first."
Ticketless Penn State students can still monitor Ticketmaster to see if more student-only tickets become available before Thursday's 5 p.m. deadline, he said.
Penn State's student government will tackle the issue at tonight's University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) general meeting, where students are invited to directly address football ticket-related concerns.
Myford has been invited to speak at tonight's meeting and will discuss the new paperless ticket system.
After a UPUA "complaint box" regarding the system was stuffed full of student feedback just a few days after its installation, Student Life and Diversity Committee Chairman Christian Ragland said he thought of bringing in a speaker who could address ticket concerns.
"I think this is the most effective way to really get some awareness of the ticket situation," Ragland said. "He really is willing to address the concern and give back to the students."
Myford will also address the entire ticket exchange system, including this week's guest ticket restrictions.
Tonight's meeting also marks UPUA's first full week with its approved 2009-2010 budget. Penn State's Division of Student Affairs granted UPUA almost $40,000 in August, the largest sum UPUA has ever received.
Academic Affairs Committee Chairman Sam Loewner said projects requiring larger sums of money will need to come onto the floor to be approved. This change makes members more accountable to their constituents, he said, and he is happy with the budget on the whole.
"What we came out with was a very good budget," Loewner (senior-political science) said.
Former UPUA member Stephen Lucas attended the meeting last week and said as an "outsider," he would have liked more explanation as to the reasoning behind the proposed allocations.
"I don't think a lot of people understand the implications of a new budget," Lucas (senior-English) said.
