Burke Talks To Fans Online

The Boiling Point: Morgan Burke answered fans’ submitted questions at PurdueSports.com last night.

Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke spent time last night answering questions submitted by Purdue fans. Topics covered included lights in Ross-Ade Stadium, the future of the south endzone bleachers, expectations for the season and a new way to do student VIP cards.

Following are some excerpts, or you can read the entire transcript here.

"Nate (West Lafayette): The student VIP cards for athletic tickets seem to be a good thing in all regards except that a limited number of students can get them. I really feel (and I think the data would reflect this) that has hurt student football ticket sales in recent years. With the real constraint there being the demand for men’s basketball tickets, why not implement a lottery based system for student men’s basketball tickets where they will be guaranteed to get tickets to a certain number of games based on the results of a lottery and then sell as many of the VIP cards to students as possible?AD Morgan Burke: This sounds like a reasonable idea to ponder as we put together next year’s plans. I will forward to the marketing, promotions and ticketing staff."

"Jackson (West Lafayette, IN): What can we as fans expect this season? How much more consistent can this years’ team be than the injury-plagued one? How do you feel about TerBush?AD Morgan Burke: I expect you to see more speed. While still young, we are more experienced at our skill positions than we were a year ago, which is important. And we are excited about the level of play we are seeing on the defensive side of the ball and versatility of the offense. Now we need to see how the practice skills to the game. I’m excited to see them play. Caleb has been in the system three years, paid a heavy price a year ago when he ran the scout team and has earned the right to start. He feels as badly about Rob Henry as anybody but recognizes the need to be prepared for Saturday and beyond."

"Chuck (City): Any plans for the south end zone at Ross-Ade?AD Morgan Burke: The short answer is yes. But the timeline is not set. Our concept would be to take the bleachers out of the south end zone. These seats are challenging to sell on a regular basis, despite their lower price. I suspect it is because of the sightlines, the fact that the sound system comes out of the scoreboard and the fact that video replays are not easy to see. So we would like to look at ways to use the south end zone and to create a video board that would enhance the fan experience. We believe there is sufficient capacity in the north end zone to allow us to continue to price tickets for families and other groups."

"Shelbyville: You can’t escape this without a question on permanent lights for the football stadium. What will it take for this to happen?AD Morgan Burke: I would be disappointed if the question didn’t come up. We are playing a night game this year against Notre Dame, but remember the television networks select the night games. And they pay for the lights. Given the fact that we are in the bottom quartile of total revenue within the conference, you have to choose your investments wisely. Right now, football has other priorities that require resources, as does the entire department as a whole. So prioritization of limited resources does not cause lights in Ross-Ade to be at the top of the list"

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