After turning students away from the 10,000-person Zona Zoo student section when it reached capacity for Saturday’s football game, Zona Zoo will offer a refund to all students who feel they were not properly informed about the restrictions on the pass.
On the football admission policy page of the athletics department’s Web site, www.arizonaathletics.com, it states that “”all admissions are not guaranteed. Limited to the first 10,000 students in attendance.””
Although this has been the policy since Zona Zoo’s membership surpassed that number, some of the approximately 11,000-plus students who purchased the pass did not realize this, said ASUA president Tommy Bruce.
Bruce said that while the policy was posted on Arizona Athletics’ Web site, some students who bought the pass at the McKale Center Ticket Office may not have been explained Zona Zoo’s first-come, first-served policy.
“”We didn’t want anyone to feel we offered wrong information,”” he said.
Refunds will be accepted until Sept. 21 at 5 p.m. Requests must be submitted online to catsinfo@arizona.edu.
Although some students were not let into Saturday’s game, Bruce said other Zona Zoo members were eventually sent to Gate 8 in the upper deck, which contained unused seats and will be looked at as a future option.
“”We’re trying to see what we can do about an overflow section for games that have open seating,”” Bruce said. “”We don’t want to upset anybody.””
Students being turned away despite owning a Zona Zoo pass is not unprecedented. Last year, when Zona Zoo sold about 12,500 passes, members were turned away from the games against Brigham Young and USC.
Arizona Athletics has ordered more CatCard swipers to make entry easier and counter a rush of pass holders around kickoff, Bruce said.
The section will still be capped at 10,000 because of fire marshal regulations.
“”It’s 10,000 or lose the section,”” Bruce said. “”If it’s 10,000 or breaking the law, obviously I’d choose 10,000. It’s still a substantial number of seats, the largest in all of the Pac-10.””
