Student senators were left divided last night after a student proposed an opt out option for students who don't want to pay for Ohio University athletic programs.
Thor Waller, a junior studying ITS, implored senate to advocate an option for students to opt out of paying for Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA) from the General Fee. He said he was inspired by a recent study conducted by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, which showed that 63 percent of its sample of OU students would prefer ICA to receive less General Fee money.
I didn't go to a football game
but I paid for it. Don't people think we should have a say in this? Waller said.
Most senate members took a moderate stance on the issue, but President Jesse Neader expressed strong opposition to the idea.
As a student that understands the budget I don't think it's possible to do an opt out program he said.
At-large senator Elisa Timmerman said she is concerned that not enough students would choose to pay for ICA if they had the option. In fiscal year 2010, Athletics received about $12.7 million from the General Fee, or $765 per full-time student. Next year, that amount will increase to about $15 million, or 47.6 percent of the General Fee.
Everyone is going to expect someone else to pay for it
and it's not going to get paid for
she said.
Nate Hall, city and county affairs commissioner, said the value of a Division I athletics program should not be underestimated.
One thing we haven't talked about is the cost of losing ICA
he said. What happens to Peden Stadium? Does it just sit there
empty? What happens to The Convo? Does it become the dorm with the largest common area?
Although students may not realize the direct effect of ICA, they still receive its benefits, Neader said, referring to the celebrations after OU's basketball team beat Georgetown University in last year's NCAA tournament.
Do they want to pay for Athletics? No
they don't think they want to
but in the end
some of their most memorable experiences came from Athletics
he said.
Chris Wagner, senator for the Honors Tutorial College, acknowledged ICA gets a disproportionate amount of funding. Though he did not advocate an opt out, he indicated something should change.
What needs to happen is a discussion of the utility of these programs to students
