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Athletic fees draw protest from students nationwide
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by Cynthia Martens
Thursday, September 9, 2004
This is the first part of a series examining intercollegiate athletics using Big Ten EADA reports. These reports were obtained using the Freedom of Information Act.
As public universities nationwide face growing tuition hikes, college students have questioned the implementation of athletic fees to keep university athletic departments afloat.
The University of Houston witnessed a 25 percent tuition increase in the last year and Ohio State University saw a 13 percent tuition increase, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents just approved a budgetary plan that would increase tuition by 4.3 percent in the 2005-2007 biennium if passed, adding to the 37.5 percent increase from the previous biennium.
Despite such tuition increases, athletic directors claim the money is needed to fund their programs and to support student athletes.
Based on information in Wisconsin’s Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) report, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, fewer than 3 percent of UW undergraduates play varsity sports.
Jamie Pollard, University of Wisconsin deputy athletic director, said UW does not have a student athletic fee and has no plan to implement one.
Indiana University-Bloomington imposed a $30 athletic fee on all students in July, when many were not on campus. This was the first direct athletic fee in the Big Ten, following poor earnings by IU football.
The IU administration claimed the fee, which would raise $1.1 million, was needed to help offset an athletic-department deficit.
Students, however, opposed the fee.
Tyson Chastain, IU Student Association president, declared in April the athletic fee was “not in our best interest,” The Indiana Daily Student reported.
Terry Clapacs, IU vice president and athletic director, said without the athletic fee, the athletic department would be forced to eliminate student seats in the Assembly Hall during basketball games, according to the Indianapolis Star.
At the University of Montana, two sociology majors protested the proposed $100 athletic fee by circulating a petition in March.
UM student Melissa Thompson said the university athletic department should look at making budget cuts before asking students for money, according to the Kaimin, the campus newspaper.
The University of Colorado-Boulder has maintained an annual $57 athletic fee for 23 years.
Eugene Pearson, the Colorado Student Union Legislative Council president, sees the athletic department as one of excess.
“There are a lot of things that are given to athletes that in my opinion are excessive,” he said. “The football recruiting scandal highlights the feeling of excess and privilege associated with the athletic department.”
The Board of Regents implemented the UC-Boulder fee in 1980 to support title IX and give women equal opportunities in sports. Pearson said at the time the athletic department was also having fiscal trouble.
“One regent thought it should be temporary, but it’s a very contentious issue,” he said. “We’ve had six or eight student votes and students have overwhelmingly voted against the athletic fee. Cut expenses. If the [athletic department] is going to operate like a business, it needs to operate like a business fully.”
