With more opportunities and more things to do, students are busier than ever before. Matt Kleffner, UI senior associate athletic director said he believes this is the reason students choose not to attend athletic events on campus.
“I think todays students just have so many different things and so many options that are pulling them in different directions from watching games on TV to their Xbox to studying…who knows what else,” Kleffner said. “There are just so many more options available to them…it’s just competing interests.”
ASUI athletics board chair Grady Hempworth held a focus group at the end of the spring 2012 semester to find out why students didn’t attend games.
“Students had a lot of reasons for not coming such as difficulty getting to the games – lack of parking, or just disinterest in sports in general,” Hempworth said.
Hempworth has been working on several projects to help improve student attendance at events in the coming year, including moving the tailgating area for football games closer to the dome and working with the Vandalizers to support more than just basketball games.
“Vandalizers is the student spirit organization on campus whose main goal is to be great fans at athletic events,” Hempworth said. “They were started a number of years ago to get students organized for cheering at basketball games.”
Hempworth said ASUI is working with the Vandalizers to expand to Football games in addition to basketball games with the ultimate goal to support all sports.
He said all students are encouraged to get involved and there is a small membership fee of about $20.
“You get an official Vandalizers t-shirt, reserved seating at games, advanced tickets for post-season games and food and other prizes at games as well. You get way more than $20 worth and it’s awesome to be a part of,” Hempworth said.
Hempworth and Kleffner said students are what create the environment at athletic events.
“We reserve a bigger percentage of our stadium for students than about anyone in the country,” Kleffner said. “We really want our students to be there. We don’t get any revenue from them per game whether they show up or don’t show up but we really want them to be there because they really add to the environment that is part of college football.”
Students pay $254.04 of their dedicated student activity fee to UI intercollegiate athletics every year. This money helps fund athletic events and other costs associated with the athletic department.
In addition it provides students free admission to all athletic events.
“I don’t think that a lot of students understand that part of their student fees goes towards their attendance at games. That’s another reason to go, so they can get their money’s worth,” Hempworth said.
Hempworth said he hopes the potential end of the WAC conference might encourage students to attend games and show more support in order to make the program more attractive.
Kaitlyn Krasselt can be reached at [email protected]