EDITORIAL & OPINION: The game and the details

Despite minor difficulties, Penn did well to get some students tickets - and allow others to watch from the Palestra. When it came time to distribute tickets for the biggest game of the year -- tonight's Penn-Princeton men's basketball battle -- it was inevitable that some people would be unhappy with the process. And with the game being played at Princeton's Jadwin Gymnasium, limiting the number of tickets available to Penn students, it seemed certain that the number of unhappy fans would only grow. But despite the difficult nature of the task, the athletic ticket office performed, for the most part, with fairness and equanimity. Those students who should have received tickets did; all of the available tickets eventually made it into the hands of eager fans. Inevitably, some minor glitches cropped up. Many students felt ill-informed about the nature of a waiting list they had placed their names on in October. And the decision to limit groups of multiple students on the waiting list to one ticket -- essentially leaving friends to draw straws for a seat at the game -- makes little sense to us. To ensure that similar problems don't crop up next year, the Athletic Department must do a better job of explaining the nature of any waiting list they choose to set up; students should not be left wondering who has priority for game tickets. But we would be remiss not to note that the Athletic Department did far more right than wrong during this process. Cementing that impression is the decision to open the Palestra to as many as 1,200 students, faculty and staff, all of whom will watch tonight's game on a closed-circuit feed from Jadwin. For students who can't make it to Princeton, N.J., the plan offers a welcome alternative -- and an opportunity to watch the game with fellow fans. In addition, the move ensures that at least one Ivy League court will be stormed in celebration of Penn's inevitable victory. We offer our final words of praise to Kite & Key, for arranging transportation to and from the game for those students lucky enough to secure tickets. Sporting events have historically brought out the best in this University and the efforts of the several groups mentioned above ensures that this year will do much to extend that reputation.