The official SantaCon announcement stated that seniors who have already paid to participate in The Naut would receive free tickets. Those who opted not to purchase the $75 Naut wristband are required to buy a ticket for $10. However, several seniors who did not buy a wristband report that they received free tickets anyway.
To verify these claims, The Fairfield Mirror sent out a questionnaire to a GroupMe for members of the Class of 2026.
As of 10 p.m. on Monday, 32 students responded to the following question: “If you didn’t pay for the Naut, was a free ticket provided to you?”. Eleven students responded “yes,” suggesting a flaw in the ticket distribution system.
Mickey Squillante, an Off-Campus Leader (OCL), offered insight into how organizers documented the names of students who had purchased tickets.
“They used the Excel file that we have,” he said. “It consists of most people, but not all. They gave us an email to send out in case someone did not receive the email.”
Squillante estimates that 900 people bought Naut tickets, and at least “90% of those who purchased are accounted for.”
In a message sent on Monday evening, Squillante advised those who had yet to receive their complimentary ticket to contact engagement@fairfield.edu.
It is still unclear how students who didn’t purchase Naut wristbands were able to receive free tickets.
