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With the announcement that six of our non-conference games will be played at Curtis Culwell Center, my first question was how will students get there?

Someone asked AD Hart over twitter whether the school would provide transportation to these games for students, and his reply (via the SMU athletics handle) was an emphatic no.

I find this completely unacceptable. If fraternities and sororities can charter buses to go to bars, one would hope the athletic department could do the same for their own student body.

I'm well aware that students aren't going to generate very much revenue for the athletic department, but the presence of a student section is very important. We are already worried about the attendance for these non-conference games, this will only make things worse.

I know a lot of you will say that there are plenty of people with cars to make the trip up, but that is really not the case. I struggled to get off campus as a freshman.

Bottom line, I believe we need to have options for students to make it to these games. A lack of a student section will hurt everyone.

Well, I've got room for three of you.

That's a bad move. They are going to provide buses for the band and cheerleaders, why not the students? Is it a cost issue to rent an extra charter bus for those five games? (I didn't count the Dec 18th game because it is the last day of finals)

Be an entrepreneur and organize something. Contract a bus and then sell bus tickets, etc. Frats have bus parties because their members pay $$$ to join an organization that has those perks

My freshman year I used to ride a bus to the Cotton Bowl games. I was not in a fraternity so I assume it was for normal students although I honestly do not recall.

I am pretty confident America's most coddled student body can find their way to Garland if their little heart's so desire. As one who lives near the Culwell center and used to drive every day to an office by SMU, it is not a wilderness excursion. I would think that if there was a group that wanted to go and had so alienated their buddies with cars that they needed public transportation, they could charter their own bus. Of course the rugged individual (must have one somewhere) who wanted to go Garland, the citadel of uncool, could always take the DART rail to the Bush station and then ride the bus to the game. We are talking about six games, really not worthy of a special transportation arrangement. And even if we did provide transport, Garland is just not cool enough for an SMU student and grazing samples at the nearby Sam's is just not The Boulevard.

Hopefully they can at least do a thorough job of communicating the options for getting there whether it is by car or public transportation.


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Smerkins wrote: how will students get there?

Seriously?

Cardinal Puff wrote:I am pretty confident America's most coddled student body can find their way to Garland if their little heart's so desire. As one who lives near the Culwell center and used to drive every day to an office by SMU, it is not a wilderness excursion. I would think that if there was a group that wanted to go and had so alienated their buddies with cars that they needed public transportation, they could charter their own bus. Of course the rugged individual (must have one somewhere) who wanted to go Garland, the citadel of uncool, could always take the DART rail to the Bush station and then ride the bus to the game. We are talking about six games, really not worthy of a special transportation arrangement. And even if we did provide transport, Garland is just not cool enough for an SMU student and grazing samples at the nearby Sam's is just not The Boulevard.

Lol. Yep.

You guys are funny.

I'm driving to the game regardless and every other student that cares about the team will. How many people is that? Not the ideal amount.

I'm more interested in how to get the casual student fan up there. As you said, realistically they won't want to drive up to Garland.

It sounds to me that all of you have just conceded that there will be poor crowds for these games. That's fine. Just not what I was hoping for.

Smerkins wrote: how will students get there?

In their BMW's and Porsches.

SMU 86 wrote:

Smerkins wrote: how will students get there?

In their BMW's and Porsches.

Don't forget their Benzo's and Range Rovers

Slug Lines.

A goodly number of DC commuters get to work this way. Drivers looking for riders so they can use the HOV Lane and riders looking for a lift queue up every morning in the same locations in the outer burbs and connect. The reverse happens in the afternoon. It's a miracle of group dynamics. You might travel in 10 different cars in the course of a week.

Easy enough for the Culwell Center. Designate a campus spot or two for drivers with extra room to pick up students who need a lift.

Smerkins wrote:I'm driving to the game regardless and every other student that cares about the team will. How many people is that?

If you really think that every student who cares about the team will get themselves there, then there is not much else to be done. Free buses are not going to get someone who does not care about the team to care about the team are they?

That said, I think if the school is proactive about communicating options for getting there (DART, rideshares, whatever), providing good driving directions and most of all repeatedly publicizing the time and location of the game - then it will help student turnout.

Regardless of the students means, I think most schools would offer students bus service. Let them flask it up and not have to worry about driving.