Tulane University will require students to sign up for tickets to attend all future football games at Yulman Stadium, the school announced Tuesday.
The change came after the student section reached capacity an hour before kickoff last weekend, and event staff initially denied entry to a large crowd of students who packed entrance gates before the sell-out Ole Miss game.
Now, Tulane will give 4,000 free tickets to students for each home game through a “digital process” before the game, according to a campuswide email sent Tuesday afternoon.
The email said students could request tickets and will be notified whether or not they receive them by the Thursday before any game.
The email did not specify how the tickets will be given. But “all ticket logistics will be shared with the student body via email by the end of the week,” Tulane spokesman Mike Strecker said Tuesday evening.
These changes follow a packed weekend at Yulman Stadium that proved how much the Green Wave football program has grown, and how quickly.
Attendance at football games has “increased significantly” this year, Student Affairs Vice President Dusty Porter and athletic director Troy Dannen said in the email.
“Last weekend,” they said, “we faced several challenges during the lead-up to the football game against Ole Miss, including operational challenges, managing pedestrian traffic at entry gates, altercations with staff, and disruptive behavior. These concerns were widely reported by students, staff, alumni, and other attendees.”
Students packed Brown Field hours before kickoff at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The student section — with a capacity of 4,000 — filled almost an hour before the game, and security began closing barricades and turning students away.
Under the new plan, students will not be admitted without a ticket. “This will reduce congestion at the gates,” the email said.
Students will also not be allowed to bring guests into the student section, the email said. They may leave the student section at any point but must re-enter through a designated area.
“This is an exciting time for Tulane athletics,” Porter and Dannen said in the email. “We will ensure better procedures are in place, and we need your help in being a partner in our community engagement.”