Yet Another Reseating Thread

[Benny B]

So here in Chicagoland, the 9"x12" envelope emblazoned with the MU logo arrived today with my personalized 2014-15 reseating letter.  For those of us who forgot... yes, we are now reseating every year.

The inquisitive may ask, "but why are we now reseating every year, Benny?"

Well fellow scoopers, it's the same reason you can't pick your actual seats anymore: the evil taxman a/k/a the Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue.  Now I won't go into the dumb logic behind this decision, but there is one exception to the rule: if you're in a section that doesn't require a seat license (e.g. upper corners or baseline), you can still pick your actual seats since it's the seat license that's taxable.  No seat license, no tax, no worries, eh?

Or so that's what we've been told.

You see, Scoopers, here's a little known tidbit of 411 you might find interesting: one of the benefits of being a Marquette employee is --- your seat license, if any, is waived.

"So since there's no seat license for faculty/staff, when it's their turn to pick, they can pick their actual seats, right?"

Wrong.  Faculty/staff still have to go through the same process as the rest of us.

Now while that seems like a fair thing to do, color me cynical here... if there was a way to circumvent the selection "process" for faculty/staff that didn't jeopardize non-taxabilty of seat licenses, I would have to think the Athletic Dept would be all over that one.  Heck, I'm pretty dang sure that most faculty/staff are probably winking & nudging their way through the selection process already, so why not just bring it above board?

So I remain skeptical as to who's really driving the bus with the whole taxable seat license thing... there are just too many holes in the argument for me to believe that this new selection process is actually necessary to preserve tax-free status.   Not that it's a big deal to me, since I'll be slumming in the license-free 400s for the foreseeable future any way; it just seems like somebody's deliberately creating a headache for thousands of people merely for kicks.

[wardle2wade]

Is the Dept of Revenue requiring the reseating to occur every year now?  I assumed that decision was by MU to increase donations.  In the past, I'd bet that reseating years always had more donations.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Does this mean jump around guy wont be in the same spot?

[augoman]

Does this mean jump around guy wont be in the same spot?

quite sure he'll remain where he is if he so wishes.

[BrewCity83]

quite sure he'll remain where he is if he so wishes.

Or reasonably close.

[willie warrior]

quite sure he'll remain where he is if he so wishes.

Doesn't matter. The camera man guy will follow him to his new seat.

[mu_hilltopper]

I didn't read the reseating letter .. did any of the point system calcs change?

[MU Buff]

I looked it over and didn't see any changes in priority points

[🏀]

No, I think the system makes sense.

Broeker doesn't BS about this kind of stuff and he explained it on Twitter last year.

[Benny B]

No, I think the system makes sense.

Broeker doesn't BS about this kind of stuff and he explained it on Twitter last year.

Broeker may not be the BSer... he might be a fellow BSee.

[Sir Lawrence]

Found my reseating email in my spam folder this morning.
June 5, 4:06 p.m.
Runs June 2-June 13.  Seems like a long stretch. 

[mu_hilltopper]

Ahhh, the annual dick measuring thread ..

Friday, June 6th at 7:41 P.M

June 5, 4:06 p.m.

D'oh!

[GGGG]

So here in Chicagoland, the 9"x12" envelope emblazoned with the MU logo arrived today with my personalized 2014-15 reseating letter.  For those of us who forgot... yes, we are now reseating every year.

The inquisitive may ask, "but why are we now reseating every year, Benny?"

Well fellow scoopers, it's the same reason you can't pick your actual seats anymore: the evil taxman a/k/a the Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue.  Now I won't go into the dumb logic behind this decision, but there is one exception to the rule: if you're in a section that doesn't require a seat license (e.g. upper corners or baseline), you can still pick your actual seats since it's the seat license that's taxable.  No seat license, no tax, no worries, eh?

Or so that's what we've been told.

You see, Scoopers, here's a little known tidbit of 411 you might find interesting: one of the benefits of being a Marquette employee is --- your seat license, if any, is waived.

"So since there's no seat license for faculty/staff, when it's their turn to pick, they can pick their actual seats, right?"

Wrong.  Faculty/staff still have to go through the same process as the rest of us.

Now while that seems like a fair thing to do, color me cynical here... if there was a way to circumvent the selection "process" for faculty/staff that didn't jeopardize non-taxabilty of seat licenses, I would have to think the Athletic Dept would be all over that one.  Heck, I'm pretty dang sure that most faculty/staff are probably winking & nudging their way through the selection process already, so why not just bring it above board?

So I remain skeptical as to who's really driving the bus with the whole taxable seat license thing... there are just too many holes in the argument for me to believe that this new selection process is actually necessary to preserve tax-free status.   Not that it's a big deal to me, since I'll be slumming in the license-free 400s for the foreseeable future any way; it just seems like somebody's deliberately creating a headache for thousands of people merely for kicks.

You make it sound like this isn't a bunch of work and a headache for the athletic department to go through as well.  My sincere guess is that they aren't doing this "merely for kicks."

BTW, I would also guess that the 80% deductibility of the donations for points will go away in the next few years.  Congress is messing with tax issues and this deduction was eliminated from an early committee draft.

[Sir Lawrence]

Ahhh, the annual dick measuring thread ..

Friday, June 6th at 7:41 P.M

D'oh!

You must be doing your exercises.   

[GOO]

I was out of the country last year and had Marquette select my seats, so this will be the first time I experience the new process. 

So, what is the process now?  I pay my renewal fee, register my preferences as part of that process and then what?  Do I actually need to log in during my allotted time?  And why bother to log in at my allotted time if the seats are picked for me by Marquette Staff anyway? 

Or, can I tell the staff what seats I want during the process and they click the buttons?  If so, that is very odd.

[GooooMarquette]

The tax thing may be legitimate where deductability is an issue, but applying it more broadly is just an excuse for the Athletic Department to take control.

If it was more than that, they would be able to find a way for MU employees to select differently, as noted above.  Also, they'd be able to use that employee method for people who are willing to forego the tax deduction.  I told them last year I'd send them a letter expressly foregoing the deduction if I could pick my exact seats, because picking my seats is more important to me than the money I could get from using the deduction.  They told me they wouldn't do it.

And for those who say you'll get the same seats if you just select "same seats as last year" once you've found seats in your row - good luck.  I did that last year, and then found they moved me several seats over...by the aisle, with people constantly walking by after the tip.

Debate whether it's a good idea or bad...but the tax explanation is being applied far more broadly than it needs to be.

[GooooMarquette]

I was out of the country last year and had Marquette select my seats, so this will be the first time I experience the new process.  

So, what is the process now?  I pay my renewal fee, register my preferences as part of that process and then what?  Do I actually need to log in during my allotted time?  And why bother to log in at my allotted time if the seats are picked for me by Marquette Staff anyway?  

Or, can I tell the staff what seats I want during the process and they click the buttons?  If so, that is very odd.

You log in at the allotted time, see if they have enough tix in the section and row you want, and then select that section and row.  Then you can hit a button expressing preferences:  same seats as last year, closer to the aisle, further from the aisle - and they select your exact seats based on that.

Last year, many reported that they got the same seats by selecting the "same seats" option, but I didn't.

[GOO]

You log in at the allotted time, see if they have enough tix in the section and row you want, and then select that section and row.  Then you can hit a button expressing preferences:  same seats as last year, closer to the aisle, further from the aisle - and they select your exact seats based on that.

Last year, many reported that they got the same seats by selecting the "same seats" option, but I didn't.

Thanks.  So, essentially we get to direct the row and section, just not the actual seats.  Must be a tax lawyer involved in deciding how to set up the process and get around the inability to select exact seats.

[Benny B]

Found my reseating email in my spam folder this morning.
June 5, 4:06 p.m.
Runs June 2-June 13.  Seems like a long stretch. 

June 7th, 4:25p.

12 days does seem like a long time, and I find the fact that I'm selecting in the "first half" of the reseating period a little curious... my point "rank" was something around 1800 last I checked; that would mean that there's over 4,000 appointments over 12 days if they have the same number of appointments every day.

[Spotcheck Billy]

anyone know how this works for those with the cheap $125 season tickets? Can I really expect any seating improvements since last year without making a donation?

[mu_hilltopper]

anyone know how this works for those with the cheap $125 season tickets? Can I really expect any seating improvements since last year without making a donation?

I would super recommend you always donate $100 to the B&G Fund every year.  It gives you 2 points, one for the $100, and one for the keeping the consecutive year string going .. it's basically the most cost effective $100 you will spend on improving seats.   Even if you're in the upper deck, someday you might want to move.

.. on the topic of a longer window to select seats .. I imagine that's so the appointments are spread out more.  I think last year your window was short, like 2-3-4 minutes.  If you make it 10 minutes, you need many more days to get thru all the accounts.

You must be doing your exercises.   

It surprises me I'm only a day away from you, as I'm 18 million points behind. 

...On my re-seating preferences "note" I put "Place me close enough for the new coaching staff to hear my arm-chair instructions."

[bradley center bat]

http://www.gomarquette.com/tickets/reseating.html

[bobnoxious]

Haven't received anything yet, email or snail mail.....

[MUDPT]

June 8 2:09.

Guess I have the smallest one.

For those who don't have anything, log in to your account.  Should be able find everything.

[Sir Lawrence]

Haven't received anything yet, email or snail mail.....

Check your spam folder.