As Aggies gathered to enter Kyle Field on Saturday for the game against New Mexico State, more people than usual surrounded the stadium for the most anticipated game of the season. Fans began camping out for ticket pull in preparation for the Texas A&M-University of Texas football game on Nov. 30.

While new guidelines released at the beginning of the semester outlined when and where students could camp, many at the ticket pull line alleged violations of the rules as well as safety and health concerns. 

Economics junior Blaise Lindsey began lining up on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. when his group noticed others waiting for the ticket line. He said the University Police Department officers on site could have prevented much of the chaos but didn’t.

“They put up … barricades on the side of the line which helped the line cutting a lot,” Lindsey said. “There still was [line cutting Monday] morning, but it was more pronounced. They had to jump over a four-foot barricade to do it. Everyone was calling it out.”

According to the new rules, ticket pull lines can only begin to form at 6 a.m. on the Sunday prior to the ticket pull for that week, with the exception of the Texas game due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Forensic investigative science senior Beth Ventura was in the ticket pull line for over 20 hours, she said. During her time in the line, she noticed a lack of safety for those lining up.

“I saw more ambulances — because people kept passing out — than actual police officers,” Ventura said. “Everybody was pushing, and it felt dangerous. There was no respect, no integrity, no excellence. It was a total violation of the Aggie values.”

Ventura’s group mainly consisted of women, and their primary concern was the lack of security around the line. When Ventura saw others around Kyle standing on the Reveille graves, she tried to speak up but was shouted out by others around her.

She said the Corps of Cadets’ Company E2 — Reveille’s handlers — arrived to protect the grave.

“People started booing and hissing at E2 because they were standing on Rev’s grave, but they’re allowed to stand on the graves because they’re Rev’s handlers,” Ventura said. “So E2 was like, ‘Get the fuck off these graves or we will get you arrested,’ and at some point, people were standing on the grass and calling them names.”*

For both students, the conduct of others in line was their main concern, with dozens of reports from social media and emails reporting fights breaking out and crowds rushing towards the front of the line in the early hours of the morning.

“The only big thing that happened was somebody yelling ‘Charge’ at 2 a.m. and causing a stampede,” Lindsay said. “It got shut down pretty quick because UPD was out here the whole time. They tried to line it up with [Bonfire Memorial] because of the amount of people that left to go there.”

According to data from a survey conducted by the Student Government Association in Fall 2024, 63% of sports pass holders prefer an online ticket pulling system instead of the current in-person system.

When asked about alternatives to traditional ticket pull, Ventura did not expect the university to be able to handle the amount of traffic a large game like A&M-Texas attracts.

“If you do online ticket pull, you’re going to have the same issue you have every year, every semester for registration, Aggie Ring day, where it always crashes,” Ventura said. “You cannot have the same amount of seniors on the website at the same time, it’s not going to work.”

An A&M spokesperson released a statement to The Battalion emphasizing that “this is a highly sought-after game.” 

“We distributed over 30,000 tickets in the first day — marking a record,” the statement reads. “That meant we had a large number of students at the ticket pull amid rainy weather. The health and safety of our Aggie community is paramount. Based on feedback from our students and staff, we will be taking a hard look at our ticket pull process to determine whether more changes are needed.”

*Editor’s note: Amy Thompson, Corps marketing and communications director, wrote to The Battalion about the involvement of cadets from E-2. “The student was incorrect in her recount of what happened. The cadets present did not curse or threaten arrest; I have verified this with multiple individuals.”