HSA Note: "A proposal to assess Manoa students $50 per semester, raising nearly $2 million a year for UH's financially challenged athletic program, is on the Board of Regents' Thursday agenda. But unlike UNT, where students voted 58.1 percent to 41.9 percent to accept the fee, UH is asking the regents to impose the fee, which has consistently been opposed by Associated Students of UH leaders."
About how the Associated Students of UH (ASUH) leaders are opposed to the athletic fee, ASUH President Andrew Itsuno said:
"ASUH is strongly opposed to the proposed athletic fee because of the unclear process of student consultation, the timing of the proposal and the lack of student support for the fee." (HSA)
HSA Note: "The UH athletic department has made several presentations to a series of ASUH committees without a student vote. But Itsuno said 77 percent of the students who responded to an ASUH survey last year "opposed the fee." Last year two campus committees split on whether a $50 fee should be imposed. The Campus Fees Committee recommended against the fee, according to the Chancellor's office, while the Athletic Advisory Board supported the fee."
About forwarding the student activities fee proposal to the Board of Regents, Manoa Chancellor Hinshaw said:
"I have listened and thought about this decision during this time, weighing the pros and cons, and waited to see if other proposals came forward. I have received only the fee proposal from athletics and, during this time, they have definitely improved the oversight and tangible benefits for students related to the fee. So, although this is a difficult decision, I believe that it is time to move forward on this fee." (HSA)
About the situation that ASUH has been put in, Itsuno said:
"Due to the situation we have been placed in, we were forced to negotiate with the administration and the athletic department to come to an agreement that would provide the best benefit for the students in order to make the most out of an unfavorable situation in an event the athletics fee proposal were to pass." (HSA)
Chancellor Hinshaw said that the proposed $50 fee will begin with the Spring 2011 semester and be used to underwrite:
"scholarships, travel and subsistence, materials and supplies, and other expenses directly beneficial to student-athletes, but not on compensation and benefits for the staff." (HSA)
About the concert that the Athletic Department will provide in exchange for this fee, Itsuno said that:
"students already pay a fee to the campus center to hold free concerts, why should students be taxed twice for the same benefit?" (HSA)
HSA Note: "Many students oppose the fee, ASUH officials have said, because they do not believe the students should have to "bail out" athletics."
About the athletic fee, Chuck Neinas (former Big Eight commissioner and now with a Colorado-based athletic consulting firm) said:
"most (major) colleges have some form of athletic fee." (HSA)
Asked if UH could be competitive without an athletic fee, Neinas said:
"no." (HSA)
Chancellor Hinshaw said that student support:
"... is critically important in the area of gender equity because most of our Wahine sports programs -- our terrific softball team, for example -- need such support to thrive since such sports generate limited income." (HSA)
Unhappy with the timing of the Board of Regents meeting, Itsuno said:
"ASUH has requested numerous times that the administration present the athletic fee proposal to the BOR in September instead of July so that more students could voice their opinions, however, Chancellor Hinshaw has remained adamant about presenting the athletic fee proposal to the BOR during July when the majority of students are away for the summer and are unable to provide input." (HSA)
About her support of the student activities fee, Hinshaw said:
"A strong, successful athletics program magnifies UH-Manoa's message -- a wonderfully positive message -- throughout Hawaii and beyond. That visibility is important to all of us as members of this campus." (HSA)
About how student fees have been increased lately as University funding has declined, Lindsay McCluskey (VP of the US student Association in DC) said:
"We are definitely opposed to any kind of assessment on students, in this case for athletics." (HSA)
HSA Note: "Students at several California state schools have recently voted down student fee proposals, only to have them overridden and fees implemented by university presidents at San Diego State and Fresno State."
About how their students supported their student athletics fee, UNT student body president Kevin Sanders said:
"The fee here ... was a hot topic for a good amount of time, but once the students attained the proper information regarding the fee, it was accepted. We believe the fee will, indeed pay dividends not only for our athletics department but also for the university as a whole." (HSA)
WHAT OTHERS OFFER
What some other schools provide in exchange for student athletic fees:
Boise State ($101 per semester):
» Free admission to home athletic events, up to 5,000 for football.
Louisiana Tech ($10 per semester):
» Free admission to home athletic events.
San Jose State ($77.50 per semester):
» Free admission to home football games (first 5,000 students), free admission to home men's basketball games (first 1,000 students), free admission to home baseball, softball, women's basketball, women's gymnastics and women's volleyball.
» Shuttle bus service from main campus to Spartan Stadium for home football games.
North Texas ($10 per semester unit):
» Free admission to all home athletic events.
Utah State ($123.22 per semester):
» Free admission to home athletic events.
WHAT UH IS PROPOSING
Here is what the athletic department is offering students in exchange for a $50 per semester athletic fee:
» Free student seating areas at UH athletic events at Aloha Stadium, the Stan Sheriff Center and Murakami Stadium. At Aloha Stadium, for example, plans call for 5,000 seats for students.
» Five percent of the collected fees, approximately $100,000 per year, will be used to support activities for students, including transportation, tailgate events, increased access to facilities for recreation and prize giveaways.
» Require the athletic department to host "a free concert or other event responsive to student interests during the school year."
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20100711_not_a_simple_fee.html
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment