Tickets available for the Oct. 11 University Lectures featuring humor author David Sedaris ran out by 3 p.m. on Wednesday at the Schine Box Office.

Tickets were available beginning Monday morning. By 5 p.m. that day, 1,331 of 1,500 tickets had already been distributed, said Kelly Rodoski, communications manager for Syracuse University News Services. Only 72 tickets remained available on Wednesday for students, staff and faculty to pick up, Rodoski said.

University Lectures does not normally distribute tickets for lectures unless the vendor suggests it for safety and security reasons, said Esther Gray, senior administrator for academic affairs, in an email. Gray could not remember other specific lectures that required tickets, but it has happened before, she said.

Sedaris’ lecture will be held in the Goldstein Auditorium in Schine and will be the third lecture in the University Lectures series of the 2011-12 academic year.

University Lectures are free and open to the public, so tickets at the box office were limited to two per person. Ticket holders must be in their seats by 5:30 p.m. on the day of the lecture, Gray said. After 5:30 p.m., tickets will be invalid and non-ticket holders may enter the auditorium until it is full, she said. Doors will open at approximately 5 p.m. and the lecture will begin at 6 p.m.

Ticket capacity was set at 1,500 by Goldstein, Gray said. Sedaris posted his schedule — including the SU lecture — on his Facebook page during the summer, so people from outside the community have been expressing interest in attending the event, too, she said. Syracuse University announced the 2011-12 University Lectures in May.

‘I’m not out around campus very much, but from what I’m hearing from people buzz is pretty high, and given how fast tickets went is a good indication,’ Gray said.

Stephania Castro, sophomore math economics major, said she didn’t realize SU was offering tickets to the event and said if she had known, she would have gotten one.

‘I mean, I guess I’ll just read another one of his books, but it’s cool if you get to meet the author,’ she said. ‘If you can read a Harry Potter book and meet J.K. Rowling, it’s a different experience.’

Castro said she’ll still try to attend the event if she hears that there is room after all the ticket holders have been seated.

Sedaris will be signing copies of his work after the event for as long as it takes, Gray said. SU Bookstore will be outside the auditorium with copies of his books and CDs for sale.

Sedaris is the author of ‘Barrel Fever’ and ‘Holidays on Ice,’ as well as collections of personal essays, ‘Naked,’ ‘Me Talk Pretty One Day,’ ‘Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim’ and ‘When You Are Engulfed in Flames.’ There are a total of seven million copies of his books in print, and they have been translated into 25 languages, according to Sedaris’ Facebook page.

University Lectures never charges for events, Gray said. There was only one time when a fee was charged and that was because the lecture was co-sponsored. Al Gore spoke in 2006 and tickets were $5 for students.

There is currently no second lecture planned with Sedaris, but Gray said it could be possible if student interest remains high.

medelane@syr.edu

Published on September 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Meghin: medelane@syr.edu | @meghinwithani