The original version of this article contained information that was unclear and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for more information.
This post was updated on Sept. 4 at 12:20 p.m.
For the first time since Bruin Bash started 11 years ago, members of Greek life will not receive priority passes to the concert, and no tickets will be distributed to students on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Instead, the process will shift from distribution on campus to a custom website, where students will have a window of time in the coming weeks to reserve a spot online. If more students reserve seats than there are tickets available, they will be entered in a lottery system. Bruin Bash is currently scheduled to take place Monday, Sept. 29.
Event organizers changed the wristband distribution process for the concert after learning in March that Chancellor Gene Block would deliver his welcome speech to students on the Sunday of zero week, when Bruin Bash is typically held. This moved Bruin Bash to Monday, the same day as UCLA Volunteer Day.
First-year students would not have been able to line up for tickets if they were distributed at the same time as Volunteer Day, putting those students at a disadvantage, said Greg Kalfayan, the Undergraduate Students Association Council Campus Events commissioner.
Priority tickets will not be distributed to members of Greek life because they are not assisting in the planning of events this year. Also, having priority passes in a year with reduced seating would not be fair to the other students, Kalfayan said.
Officials wanted to give a fair chance to all students hoping to enter one of the staple events of UCLA’s Welcome Week, he added.
“We decided to structure things differently after being forced to redraw plans multiple times,” Kalfayan said.
In previous years, the Campus Events Commission reserved a certain number of spots for members of Greek life because they helped plan certain aspects of the event, including a post-concert dance and lounge in Bruin Plaza. In 2013, the commission held 2,000 wristbands on reserve for students in campus fraternities and sororities, Kalfayan said.
“If you take away 1,000 or 2,000 wristbands to one group exclusively, that’s a big chunk away from everyone else,” he said. “Everyone should have an equal chance of receiving a ticket.”
Students will learn whether they received a concert ticket at least one day before the event. The ticket will be put on each student’s BruinCard electronically and scanned at the Intramural Field where wristbands will be distributed, Kalfayan said.
The Campus Events Commission and Cultural Affairs Commission are working with the Office of Residential Life to ensure first-year students know how to reserve tickets, he said.
Compiled by Julia Raven, Bruin senior staff.
Clarification: Members of Greek life will also not receive priority passes because they are not assisting in the planning of Bruin Bash.