Stanford football season-ticket holders were notified that an "expansion to the priority-seating policy" at Stanford Stadium demands a "mandatory gift" to the athletic department's annual fund, the Buck/Cardinal Club, according to Vytas Mazeika of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. Stanford has "already installed $2,000 donations to the Buck/Cardinal Club for chairback seats on the 50-yard line, but research analysis, particularly within the Pac-12, established an opportunity to raise additional funds in high-demand season-ticket sections between the 25- and 40-yard lines on the home sideline." Gifts per seat "top out at $2,000, then include $1,000, $500 and $250 rows." Mazeika notes a similar policy already "exists for priority seating in the lower bowl of Maples Pavilion for basketball games." Stanford Associate AD/External Relations Tommy Gray "foresaw" a "negative reaction from a number of loyal season-ticket holders." Gray said, "In terms of the early feedback, we’ve definitely had some people who are upset and we are not surprised by that and totally understand where people are coming from there." Gray said that roughly 14% of Stanford Stadium will "require Buck/Cardinal Club Priority Seat Donations." That number last year was "closer" to 5%. It was "limited to each side of the 50-yard line, with the size of the gift per seat scaled back on a few rows" for '17. Stanford is coming off its sixth 10-win campaign in the past seven seasons (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 2/8).
