A Student Government assembly member proposed a bill to expand the football student section during Tuesday’s general assembly.
Emma Daniell, representing the College of Liberal Arts, introduced the legislation to address concerns about the limited capacity of the student section at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Issues arose after students reported being denied entry to home games this season against Colorado State and the University of Texas at San Antonio, according to the bill.
“(The stadium) does reach capacity, (and) people aren’t able to leave the student section to go to the restroom or get water,” Daniell said. “So it makes them want to leave earlier because (they’re) stuck in the heat and cramped together. They’re sticking roughly three students per seat on those bleachers, so no one’s going to want to stick it out that way.”
Daniell said the University has one of the smallest student sections in the Southeastern Conference. Currently, the student section has 13,000 seats — just 12.9% of the stadium’s 100,119 capacity. The legislation argues Texas Athletics should prioritize student access over alumni and the general public.
“The UTSA game was the only one where we had that second reserved student section,” Daniell said. “I spoke with Drew Martin, one of the (Texas Athletics) directors, and they have no plan for the Georgia game, so hopes are we are going to get some type of change.”
The proposal suggests teams switch benches, which allows students to sit behind the home team. If the University does not approve the suggestion, the proposal recommends extending the student section to the North End Zone, including the upper deck. The legislation cites other SEC schools with successful student sections, such as the University of Oklahoma, the University of Alabama and Texas A&M University.
The proposal also advocates for penalties against season ticket holders who miss or resell tickets, as the rule already applies to Big Ticket holders. Currently, Big Ticket holders receive warnings and strikes for missing games. Unused season tickets would then be redistributed to students on game day. Additionally, Big Ticket holders who cannot claim a ticket would be eligible for a refund or can claim an open ticket from the general public at no extra cost.
Daniell said the second part of her bill would revise the Big Ticket, and SG shared a draft proposal with Texas Athletics for collaboration. The congregation will vote on the legislation at next week’s assembly meeting at 7 p.m. in the William C. Powers, Jr. Student Activity Center in room 2.302.
