UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY, Utah — Game days are an exciting time to be on campus with your friends cheering in the stands. But, some Aggies thought a new Utah State University decision meant they could miss out on that chance because they might lose their seat.
“If they’re going to pay to come to this school, then they deserve every opportunity to have a seat that’s rightfully theirs,” said Jaylan Porras, a student at Utah State University.
Last week, students said they were dealt a big blow. “They told us about just some plans to cut students seats, we looked at some average numbers and things like that,” said Dallin Wilson, HURD President and Executive Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation. He said they were blindsided when the school was planning to reduce the student section by 1,000 seats. “It was tough that it kind of came as a surprise to the students. We have a pretty good working relationship with the athletic department, so to kind of see some of the seats disappearing was kind of frustrating for us,” added Wilson.
But, the day before the big game between Utah State and the University of Utah, came a pleasant surprise. USU sent out an email to students saying they added those 1000 seats back for students:
“We recognize the importance of student support for all of our USU athletic events. We are dedicated to ensuring that as many Aggies as possible can experience the thrill of game day. For the football game against Utah, we were able to add an additional1,000 tickets to accommodate the student demand. With this addition, the total student ticket number is now at 5,901 — all of which have been claimed.
Our commitment to our student gameday experience remains unwavering. Moving forward, all seating in sections 117 through 121 at Maverik Stadium will be for student general admission.There will also be no changes to student ticketing at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. We encourage all students to secure theirtickets early to guarantee a seat at every event. Your presence makes a significant difference in creating an advantage at all ofour home events.
Let's show the world what Aggie spirit is truly about. Go Aggies!”
“It’s great to know that the student voice is heard and that what we do here for our athletes makes a difference and they recognize that,” said Wilson.
Happy that their school listened to their concerns and excited to keep their seats as they cheer for their team. “As the HURD, we love making a difference in the game and we feel like we do that pretty well. and keeping our number the same is going to do a lot with that,” said Wilson.
