Syracuse University officials took great steps to make sure students get tickets to see the Dalai Lama speak, but students did not fully take advantage of the opportunity.

The university designated 300 tickets to each panel on Oct. 8 for students. The complimentary tickets were available from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday for students.  Complimentary tickets are available for the general public beginning Wednesday morning, but the Tuesday distribution was solely for students.

Even so, students did not take full advantage of this opportunity. By 7 p.m. Tuesday, about 100 of the 600 allotted tickets remained. That means only 500 students picked up tickets in the two-hour span.

University officials planned ahead for students. They picked a time during the day when most students’ classes are over, created designated lines to keep them orderly and offered about 20 percent of the total seating available in the auditorium to students.

But students did not respond to the university’s offer. Though some students are attending the panels with professors, it seems unreasonable that there were not 600 other students who wanted to attend the event and who could get their tickets on Tuesday.

Seeing the Dalai Lama is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students. The panels are covering different topics than the concert event. Students should have taken advantage of the opportunity the university offered.