Faculty and staff members got their tickets for free the last time Texas Tech came to Dallas in Sept. 2004. Beginning this season they must purchase their tickets. (John Schreiber)

SMU faculty and staff might have to make new arrangements if they wish to attend Mustang football games this season. Previously, as was the case with students, employees of SMU were able to get a ticket at the ticket office by showing their ID. That will all change.

In April, the IRS informed SMU that if the school continued to give free tickets to employees, the employee could be taxed. The tickets would be considered a part of an employee’s salary and would therefore be taxable income.

The school isn’t just hanging the faculty and staff members out to dry though. They will be able to purchase tickets with a 20 percent discount, and unlike other schools, will be able to choose from anywhere in the stadium and not just a designated section. But with that, employees with have to follow the donation system that goes along with buying season tickets in certain sections. The donations are based on proximity to the 50-yard line. The closer to the 50, the bigger the donation, which goes to the Mustang Club.

To keep with the athletic department’s motto of being a top 25 school, SMU researched what the top 25 programs in the country did regarding faculty and staff tickets, as well as the other Conference USA teams. They discovered that none of the top 25 programs give free tickets to employees and that SMU was the only school in C-USA that gave free tickets to faculty and staff.

The athletic department will be sending out an e-mail to employees explaining further what has happened and what their options are. One thing the athletic department is doing to ease into the transition is still allowing faculty and staff, for this season only, to receive free tickets.

The way those tickets will be picked up, however, will change, as well as student tickets.

In the past, students and faculty were able to go to the ticket office a few days before a game and pick up their tickets. That will be different this year. They will enter a designated gate with their student ID, or staff ID, have it swiped and receive a ticket at the gate.

The ticket office will still reserve the same number of seats for the students’ section as they always have. But because the tickets cannot be received in advance, students and faculty are encouraged to come to the stadium early.