Under bright lights and the glare of the national spotlight, the Northwestern athletic department solved a software glitch that made for quicker, smoother student admission for Saturday night’s game against Ohio State.
It was a good thing they did, because the student section was filled to capacity as 5,000 rabid fans watched NU beat the No. 7 Buckeyes 33-27 in overtime.
With ESPN cameras in town, university officials wanted to avoid the problems of Sept. 18 that caused many students to miss the start of the Kansas game. That day, WildCARD scanning machines in front of Gate T — the student section entrance — were overwhelmed by an unexpectedly large showing, causing long lines of frustrated fans.
To avoid a repeat of that scenario, the university upgraded its scanning technology and added four WildCARD machines. As a result, lines were virtually nonexistent on Saturday.
“For the Kansas game we ended up missing the kickoff (because of lines),” Weinberg freshman Ben Schriesheim said. “But Saturday we just walked right up and got in.”
According to Jon Winters, vice president for professional services with Paciolan — the company that works with NU on entrance procedures and ticketing information — the company fixed a “non-disclosed software bug” caused by a third-party vendor.
Whereas the WildCARD scanning machines took eight to 20 seconds to print receipts on Sept. 18, they took two to three seconds last Saturday, Winters said.
As before, the new policy is that all full-time undergraduates with valid WildCARDs receive free admission. But even with the fixes, not all students were able to enter.
Several students discovered at the gate they had, for unknown reasons, invalid WildCARDs. They were directed to the student ticket office, where they were given a ticket if they were in fact full-time undergraduate students.
These students were warned, however, that they would have to bring valid WildCARDs in the future. Students with problems were strongly advised to call the registrar and the WildCARD office.
“The kids need to be responsible for bringing their WildCARDs,” a student ticket office representative said. “We sent plenty of disclaimers in the mail and they had plenty of opportunities before now to get their WildCARD … it’s their responsibility.”
Some students, however, complained about the stringent policy.
Communication junior Nibette LaFrennie was irked to discover, at the gate, that her WildCARD did not work.
LaFrennie eventually got in — with the stated caveat to call the registrar and WildCARD office — but she was peeved about the new system for student entrance.
“If you’re going to make this blanket statement about how everyone should come to the games, then you should cater to your students,” LaFrennie said. “I walked in here last time (for the Kansas game) with my WildCARD and got in, didn’t have to get a ticket or anything, and now — it’s Ohio State, we’re on TV — it’s a big deal.”
Also turned away at the gate were a handful of graduate students who did not know the specifics about the new policy for student entrance.
The Associated Student Government-initiated policy last winter added a $25 fee to all undergraduate tuitions in exchange for free entrance to football and basketball games, but that only applied to full-time undergrads.
Graduate students who wished to attend games were informed in letters and e-mails that they could purchase season tickets for $42 — much discounted from the price for non-students but still not as good a deal as the $25 fee.
“I feel like, as paying graduate students, we should get the same privileges as the undergraduates,” said first-year McCormick graduate student Darren Ng, who said he would have paid the athletic fee if it had been offered.
He and his friends elected to go home instead of paying $20 — the Big Ten ticket price for graduate and part-time students.
Still, discounting a few complications, the new system for student ticketing and entrance worked. Winters said he believes the university’s partnership with Paciolan will only strengthen with time.
“Paciolan is evolving our software platform to really provide greater benefits to our clients,” Winters said. “Northwestern will get their patrons the way they want them … and give them a much better experience through this technology.”
Reach Anthony Tao at [email protected].
