With three more home games left in Clemson’s record-breaking football season, it’s no question that demand for student football tickets is high. GroupMe chats are filled with messages of folks buying and selling tickets — sometimes fraudulently.
The problem has grown beyond just tickets to get into the stadium. Students are being turned away from the lower deck and Hill because of capacity limits, despite having valid tickets.
Based on my experience this past weekend, capacity limits are being enforced without regard for who’s taking up the space. My ticket and the dozens of others around me were not scanned by the attendant at the student entrance to the game.
A few guys in front of me remarked after they got past the metal detector that they knew they could sneak their friend in, that “they don’t even go here.”
Once I got in, I found myself in the predicament many others were in: the lower deck was full. Where do I go now?
After speaking with one of the EPI event staff, I was directed towards the Hill wristband line to stand on the Hill. Ten minutes later, I was told that they were not giving wristbands to the Hill, and then a moment later, that they were.
The confusion among event staff was evident, but I eventually received a Hill wristband and joined the unfilled crowd there.
Chris Miller, vice president of student affairs, emphasized the “shared responsibility” of game day safety in an email sent to students this past weekend. 
“Keep aisles clear at all points of the game, including prior to kickoff. Seating rows should not exceed capacity. Less congestion during all parts of the game will help ensure a better flow of traffic throughout the student sections,” said Miller.
For someone who doesn’t want to be left out of attending the game with their friends, this is easier said than done. Especially if they paid hundreds of dollars to attend a single game.
Clemson has made little public comment about the ticket issue, telling The Tiger that fans need to be diligent when purchasing tickets and telling students they simply need to arrive early.
It’s time for something to be done. Why not bring back student wristbands across the board?
A few years ago, students received wristbands for each game they had a ticket to. The wristbands were NFC-enabled (think, Apple Pay) and could be scanned by event staff upon entry to the stadium and student sections.
The wristbands solved two birds with one stone: ticket scanning and scams, both of which have become worse this season.
Additionally, if wristbands are brought back across the board, the time being spent by students with Hill tickets to receive additional proof of purchase can be wiped away.