WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University is taking action to identify the students behind a surge for tickets Sunday at Mackey Arena, while trying to make it up to students who were left waiting.
The university said nearly 5,500 students attended the women's basketball game against Indiana Feb. 5, the third annual "Golden Ticket" game, which is the students' first chance to buy a Boarding Pass and Paint Crew membership for the following year.
The Boarding Pass is a $135 membership that guarantees a ticket to football, basketball and volleyball games for the season. The Paint Crew membership costs $20 and guarantees season tickets to most men's basketball games, along with early entry to Mackey Arena before games and other benefits.
Purdue officials said the crowd that had gathered Sunday was more than double the number of students who had attended the Golden Ticket game last year. While most of the students waited most of the morning for the gates to open, the university said a number of students arrived late and pushed forward, creating a surge which injured two students.
"The behavior of those whose actions led to the surge is not in keeping with what we expect of Boilermakers, and work is underway to identify those individuals. In particular, any individual identified as taking part in the unruly behavior will not retain a Golden Ticket," the university's athletics department said in a statement.
The department apologized for not anticipating a larger crowd and putting into place a plan "to ensure a smooth and fair process for all who gathered."
The university will hold a second-chance lottery for students who planned to attend the game. Those who had a ticket to Sunday's contest but did not receive a Golden Ticket will automatically be entered into the lottery.
In future years, the athletics department said an electronic system will be implemented for disbursing the Golden Tickets.