Those long lines FAMU football fans experienced trying to get into Bragg Stadium on Saturday should be shorter when the Rattlers play their next home game, athletic director Kortne Gosha told FAMU Trustees Wednesday, speaking before the Board of Trustees Athletic Committee.
“We are committed to fixing the problems we had on Saturday, our growing pains,” Gosha said. “We met with our internal team – at the highest level – and our external partners, and are working to resolve the issues (we had).”
FAMU Student Body President and University Trustee Carrington Whigham, told Gosha “students complained about not being able to access digital tickets after last Thursday, of extremely long lines, and ticket scanners that did not work.”
“Those issues will be worked out going forward,” Gosha promised. “We learned that we had some scanners that had issues functioning in direct sunlight.”
Some fans complained on Twitter, Facebook and other social media of waiting in line for up to 45 minutes or more to get into the stadium for the 6:00 p.m. game against Ft. Valley State University. A long line outside the stadium’s east side, didn’t dissipate until the crowd went into the Lawson Center in the first quarter because of the rain delay. [In full disclosure: This blog joined in on the criticism on Twitter.]
Budget deficit averted.
Heading into the end of the 2021 fiscal year, which ended June 30th, FAMU athletics was facing an $86,244.35 budget deficit which was averted, thanks to a last-minute fundraising push. The fundraising push through the Rattler Athletic Fund left the department with a $344,000 surplus.
Gosha, said “the fundraising also benefited the Marching 100 band by allowing athletics to purchase new shoes, and travel uniforms for the band.”
“It’s no secret the impact that the coronavirus pandemic has had on our athletic department, with the cancellation of our major revenue generating sport –-football— and we had a men’s basketball season with no spectators,” he said. “While the our final budget numbers are still being tabulated, I’m sure that we are the only public university in the State University System last year to operate in the ‘black’.”