A strong majority of Penn State football season-ticket holders have said they’ll keep buying tickets in 2011, when the controversial STEP concept will take effect, the university announced this week.
Introduced in 2009, the Seat Equity and Transfer Plan — STEP — will require all season-ticket holders to make minimum annual contributions to the Nittany Lion Club. The minimum contributions vary by the number of Beaver Stadium seats a fan holds and where those seats are located.
For instance, the required minimum contribution per seat will range from $100 to $2,000 for the 2011 football season. Extra parking privileges require additional Nittany Lion Club contributions, as well.
Penn State has said the extra revenue will help cover escalating athletic-program expenses, including those for tuition, travel, medical care, insurance, facility maintenance and construction. The university’s football program had been the only major one in the country that didn’t ‘align football-season ticket locations and donor giving levels,’ according to a prepared statement.
‘Beyond the challenge of meeting today’s operating costs, we will be enhancing the game-day experience for all fans at Beaver Stadium over the next several seasons,’ the university statement reads. Those enhancements are expected to include increased bathrooms for the public, more concession offerings and easier entry points and access to the surrounding parking lots.
Season-ticket holders have been given three options for 2011: They could retain, upgrade, downgrade or waive their seat locations for the season.
To date, season-ticket holders representing 69 percent of the season tickets sold for 2010 have agreed to retain equal-quality seats as STEP takes effect, according to the university. Those representing 20 percent of the 2010 season-ticket total have agreed to relocate to better seats; those representing four percent have sought to downgrade their seats to lower-priced sections; and those representing seven percent have waived their chance to buy season tickets in 2011.
‘The next phase of the STEP program will include the online seat-selection process for those relocated as a result of changes to the stadium-seating configuration and for those looking to upgrade and downgrade,’ a university statement reads.
Those who don’t have season tickets but are interested in them can send e-mail to GoLions@psu.edu, according to Penn State. Questions are being fielded at (800) 648-8269.
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