Turns out student season tickets for the 2003-04 Syracuse men’s basketball season came with an unexpected, cash-back bonus.

Starting at 2 p.m. today, Syracuse University will offer $25 refunds to all students who purchased season tickets. Refunds are available through the Carrier Dome’s website, dometix.com, which will boast a link to an online refund page. A student may choose to either be mailed a $25 check or have the money added to a SUpercard account.

The refunds come a few weeks after several Syracuse students e-mailed athletic department officials to complain about high student season ticket prices for the 2003-04 season.

Student season tickets went on sale this summer for $100. The package includes all six regular season games and two exhibitions played at the Carrier Dome while school is in session. Last year, student season tickets cost $89 and included 11 games.

The reason for the eye-dropping increase in price-per-game?

Bad luck. Syracuse sets student season ticket prices months before the basketball schedule is finalized. Based on past precedent, Syracuse expected to have about 11 home games this season while classes were in session. Instead, the final schedule showed only eight such games, making the $100 season-ticket price seem unfair.

‘We have to do this based on guessing,’ said Jake Crouthamel, Syracuse’s director of athletics, two weeks ago. ‘It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way it works. When the schedule came out, we realized the student season ticket price was not right.’

Crouthamel called a meeting two weeks ago to consider possible solutions. Other than the refund, officials considered adding a few games held at the beginning of breaks to the package.

‘Ultimately, we decided that wasn’t fair to everyone,’ said Pat Campbell, manager of the Carrier Dome. ‘That might work for kids who live an hour away, but some people have to leave and fly home right when a break starts. That’s why we decided on the refund.’

The refund will be available through the website until Oct. 24. Payment by check may take up to four weeks, while SUpercard money can be added in about three days. Students who still wish to purchase season tickets can do so at the Carrier Dome box office for $75 dollars, not the original $100.

Plus, students who won’t benefit from this refund may still benefit in the future.

‘I think, because of this whole process, we’ll probably tend to set the student ticket prices on the lower end in the future,’ Campbell said. ‘We’ll reduce the price to be safe.’

Published on September 30, 2003 at 12:00 pm