The Utah Daily Chronicle, 30 March 2016
The Dalai Lama will speak on campus this summer, and tickets for the event go on sale this Friday.
The Tibetan Buddhist leader’s talk was rescheduled for June 21 eight months after his original speech was set to take place in October 2015, but was cancelled when he fell ill.
Student tickets cost $10 while faculty and staff tickets cost $20, but everyone is limited to purchasing just two per UCard, with sales starting Friday at 10 a.m. Tickets for the general public go on sale April 4 at 10 a.m., costing $35 each with a limit of four per purchase, said Cheri Daily, spokesperson for the U.
There will be 11,000 tickets available this time, about 3,000 more than the previous event, because there will be less draping for a backdrop for the speech, opening up more areas for seating.
Lobsang Tsering, president of the Utah Tibetan Association, said the Dalai Lama had some planned visits in Colorado and California and decided to squeeze in a visit to Utah as well. During his time in the state, the Dalai Lama will speak to a small group of Tibetans at the Utah Tibetan Community Center in Salt Lake City, Tsering said. He will also meet with local government officials.
Regardless of what faith you are, Tsering believes everyone can learn by hearing the religious leader’s message.
“Wherever he goes, people want to see him and listen to him,” Tsering said. “As a Tibetan, he is our everything — our heart and soul and everything.”
Tickets sold out in just 15 minutes when they went on sale last summer. The website hosting ticket sales malfunctioned and many were not able to purchase them. After refunding everyone, Daily hopes to have a smoother transaction this time. Clear graphics by the U explain the steps to purchase a ticket, including setting up an account beforehand so you don’t waste time on Friday morning. Tickets can be purchased online at utahtickets.com or in person at the Rice Eccles Stadium ticket office. For those who are not able to purchase tickets or cannot make it to the event, the speech will be livestreamed.
“He is one of the world leaders with a message of peace and compassion in a time when there is so much violence and so much intolerance,” Daily said. “It’s clearly a very special event for the Tibetan community, but it is also a special event for anyone who will have the opportunity to be in his presence and hear his message of peace and compassion for humanity.”
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