Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III said A&M will be moving to a digital ticket pull approach in a Friday announcement. The change follows a chaotic ticket pull for the rivalry football game against Texas that saw hundreds of students face dangerous and unhealthy conditions. 

“Unfortunately, there were a few areas where we fell short in demonstrating the Aggie Core Values,” Welsh said in the announcement. “I want to remind everyone on this campus what I said in my last newsletter: Our Core Values apply all day, every day … or they mean nothing.”

In a press conference last month, Welsh took responsibility for the Texas pull issues, which saw at least three students hospitalized after not feeling well. A Student Government Association survey released last month found 63% of sports pass holders favor an online system.  

“I shared a few weeks ago that we are taking a hard look at ticket pull moving forward, and it’s clear that it’s time for Texas A&M University to move to a digital ticket pull approach,” Welsh said. “We are the largest school in the SEC and the only one not utilizing a digital ticket pull option.”

The president said he has assembled a task force “to develop a policy framework that can guide the teams that need to begin developing a technology solution for this purpose.” The group, co-chaired by Student Body President Cade Coppinger and Vicki Dobiyanski, the associate vice president for student affairs, met for the first time last week. 

Other task force members include Amy Janac, the assistant director of ticket operations and events for the 12th Man Foundation, Debbie Lollar, the associate vice president for Transportation Services, Sharon Mainka, the chief of staff to the vice president for IT and chief information officer, Alexandra Rainey, deputy chief of staff in the Office of the President, and Lacey Williams, vice president of ticketing for the 12th Man Foundation. 

“The tradition of the 12th Man has been very well served by the practice of ticket pull over the years,” Welsh said. “For many, it became a rite of passage. However, as we grow and evolve as a university and work hard to preserve our valued traditions, the practices associated with those traditions sometimes also need to evolve. We put students at risk in the ticket pull for the Texas game. I will not risk letting that happen again.”

Welsh said he is confident the university can create a digital solution that preserves the current system’s most important elements while also welcoming the 2025 football season safely.