Long lines and more IDing students fixes a nonexistent problem A recent proposal would require students to present their M-Card upon entrance to the football stadium. According to Marty Bodnar, the manager for athletic tickets and promotions, the goal of the policy is to get "as many students into the stadium as possible" and "maintain the community atmosphere of the student section." While foiling scalpers and increasing the student population within the stadium are both admirable ambitions, checking M-Cards would do more harm than good. The plan to check student IDs at the gate will only make attending football games less convenient. Instead of the simple process of tearing off the ticket stub, long lines will result as students wait to get their IDs checked. Students will have to arrive even earlier than they currently do in order to be in their seats by kickoff. This makes it more difficult for students to get to games on time, especially when there is an early starting time. While it is understandable that the University is trying to keep scalpers out of the student section and increase the concentration of students, part of the enjoyment of the games comes from outsiders being in the student section. If a friend or family member of a University student wants to sit in the student section and watch the game with a University student, they should be allowed to do so. Scalping is an issue, but a larger issue is the right of students to secure tickets for their friends and family. The University need not be concerned with the concentration of students in the student section. The quantity of student season ticket requests continues to be on the rise as more than 22,000 students bought season tickets to the football games last year. Tickets to athletic events are already in high demand; the University does not need to implement an ID checking system to remedy a problem that does not exist. Adding to the futility of an ID checking system would be the ease with which it could be circumvented. For example, if a student wanted a family member to sit with them in the student section, they could simply buy that friend or family member a regular ticket and then obtain a student ticket stub once inside the stadium to get the family member into the student section. Many people live by the ideal that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." This is one of those situations. Michigan football games are attended by more people than at any other college or university in the nation. Many students regard football games as one of the greatest aspects of attending the University. Facing unnecessary ID checks and not being able to watch the games with friends or family will only inhibit this enjoyment. Originally on page 4A in the 1-19-2000 issue of the Daily.