2013 Reseating Changes

[Litehouse]

Anyone know what the driver was behind the legislation change?  The state is still getting the revenue, people are still getting tax breaks.  It seems like it's legislation for legislation's sake.  (not a WI resident, so I haven't followed this at all)

The state isn't getting the revenue.  Right now buying season tickets requires a mandatory donation that is 80% tax deductable.  The state doesn't get the revenue from the deductable part, and now they want it.

[bilsu]

My impression was that it was a sales tax issue. There is sales tax on ticket sales. State is trying to claim that donations are part of sale and therefore subject to sales tax. Assuming it is only on mandatory donations MU would owe 5.6% of mandatory donations added to ticket prices. Following the State's logic further they then could claim that since the mandatory donations are part of sales price they are not really deductible as donations.

[T-Bone]

Thanks bilsu, that makes sense. 

But the one thing I'm still wondering is where will the state actually draw revenue.  Obviously any academic institution will take on safeguards to ensure that donors/fans will still be able to retain their deduction - such as MU is doing.  Was there a different target in mind with this legislation, and we just came under the line of fire?  Or is it just such poor legislation that it has this gigantic loophole. 

[mu_hilltopper]

If it's (only) a sales tax issue, then MU should just bump the donations to cover it. 

For the middle-section swell people buying 2 tickets, their donation is $1,000, sales tax is roughly $55 .. for a corner section person, $16 extra.   We'd all pay that extra 5% so we could pick our own seats.

.. (I imagine this is more of a charitable donation deduction issue than a sales tax one.)

[brewcity77]

If I can't be guaranteed my choice, actually for a specific reason, I'll just give up my tickets and MU will lose a fan. I guess with new students coming in each year and new graduates going out each year they'll easily find replacements for me so who cares. Right?

One of the options under preferences will be "same seats". So when your slot comes up, as long as your previous section and row are still open, you can say "same seats" and you should get the same seats you had before. The only way you wouldn't be able to do this is if a STH with a higher point status than you bumped you out of your seats, but that was a possibility under the old system as well.

[brewcity77]

I talked to Joe True at Haunted Hoops and asked about a number of questions that had been brought up here and elsewhere and wanted to share his responses with everyone. I didn't keep track of who asked what, so I'll just post the question and the answers I received:

Will there be a continuous update of which rows/seats have been taken?

There will continue to be real-time updates of how many seats are available in each row, however MU will not be able to let us know which exact seats are available. In the past, you would see the exact seats. Now you will simply see the row and how many seats out of 14 are available. In general, aisle seats tend to go first, so consider that when you are picking your seats. Also, for any seats that DO NOT have a minimum donation, you will still see the exact seats in real-time. The changes only apply to those sections with mandatory donations assigned to them.

Would it be possible to simply add sales tax to the value of the seats and allow us to still pick exact seats?

If they did this, it would kill the Blue & Gold fund, which pays for virtually all of the sports scholarships, not just basketball. The only way to keep seat donations (which are the primary source of B&G Fund funding) was to make this switch. In order for Marquette to get those donation values tax-free, a portion of the seat price must be left as a donation. Simply adding sales tax wouldn't work.

Will this also affect Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and Green Bay?

It will not force any change at Milwaukee or Green Bay because they do not require seat donations on any of their seats. Madison has their own seating policy and their own way of conforming to these rules. From what I understand, they do not pick exact seats there either. Wisconsin is a bit different because as a larger school, they are not so reliant on seating donations from football/basketball/hockey to fund their other sports. But they are already compliant with the law that we now must follow.

Has there been any thought of going to a PSL system?

Like the sales tax, this really isn't an option. The PSL system used in Green Bay was only allowed because the state gave an exemption to the Packers (go figure). Otherwise, they would be subject to the exact same rules. But part of the GBP deal allowed the PSLs. However this would have a tremendous impact on the B&G Fund and really isn't a viable option.

How will it work if I want to sit with a friend?

If you have another group of season ticket holders you want to sit with, the time slot will be picked at the lower STH's spot. One STH will be declared "team captain" and will pick all of the seats for the group. Thus, two STHs could pick up to 8 seats at the same time with the captain making the selections.

Will I be able to sit with FaceBook friends?

So far, there has been no action to try to link FB with the reseating process.

When will I know which seats I get?

Marquette is still settling how best to handle this. It sounds like it will most likely be next day as most people won't want to wait until the entire reseating process is done before finding out their exact seats.

If there are 14 seats in a row and the first two selectors take 4 each on the ends, and the third requests 2 seats with a center aisle preference, will I be alerted that picking the remaining 4 seats in this row will be non-sequential?

I asked this mid-conversation. It's something Joe will be bringing back to the table. It sounds like they have the process 80% done and are ironing out final details.

Why make this change so soon after implementing new software?

I'm sure I addressed this before, but MU didn't have a choice. If they had their way, they would much rather we pick our seats bi-annually because them picking them every year is a lot more hassle and work. As mentioned, the old system will still be in place for non-donation seats. Initially, there was discussion of only allowing STHs to pick their section. Marquette is trying to be as transparent as possible by allowing us to select section and row, as well as preferences such as aisle, mid-aisle, or same seats as before. I really get the sense that the B&G Fund is going to do everything in their power to get you the exact seats you want. The new laws from the state aren't making that easy, but Marquette is trying to work within those laws to make the process as smooth and satisfactory as possible.

What about people with the same number of preference points?

Tiebreakers will work the exact same as before. Everyone will still get their slot, and if multiple people have the same number of preference points, tiebreakers will separate them. Nothing is changing in that regard.

Would I be better off just going down to the Al to pick my seats?

Going to the Al will still be an option, but the only advantage is that there will be about a dozen computers there for you to log on to. You still won't see the available seats, though there will be people to help you through any changes. But if you have reliable internet at home, there is no advantage to going to the Al.

What if I have additional questions?

I'd be happy to talk to Joe on anyone's behalf, but I'd also encourage you to call him. His number is listed earlier in this thread, and at least from my perspective, it's very reassuring to hear that MU really is doing everything in their power to make this as easy as possible. In addition, they are planning some Webinars to further explain the process, and may have some live seminars as well.

[mu_hilltopper]

Thanks Brew .. hey, did he ever explain .. why the change from every 2-years to every year?