USA Today: How student fees quietly boost college sports

[BDKJMU]

Big front page article above the fold with a 2nd article in the sports section. Towson, VMI, JMU, and Montana get considerable mention in the article. Good read. I'll paste part of it:

"How student fees quietly boost college sports
As athletics budgets rise, priorities are questioned

By Steve Berkowitz, Jodi Upton, Michael McCarthy and Jack Gillum
USA TODAY

Linda Randall says her daughter, Randi-Lyn, a student at Radford University in southwestern Virginia, is not a "die-hard" follower of the Highlanders sports teams.

Even so, by the time Randi-Lyn graduates in 2012, her parents probably will have paid an average of nearly $1,000 a year in fees to the school's athletics department. They just didn't know it from the school's billing statements or website.

"We're looking at five years because she changed majors. That's $5,000," Randall says. "That's one of her loans. That would have paid rent off-campus for a year. It's kind of disheartening. I don't think I'd have as much of a problem with it if I knew I was paying it. With what we're paying, it doesn't seem right."

Like most other schools in NCAA Division I, Radford relies on student fees to help support ever-expanding athletics budgets. Many schools, including Radford, do not itemize where those fees go for those who pay the tuition bills, USA TODAY found in an ongoing examination of college athletics finances. The amounts going to athletics are soaring, and account for as much as 23% of the required annual bill for in-state students.

Students were charged more than $795 million to support sports programs at 222 Division I public schools during the 2008-09 school year, according to an analysis of thousands of pages of financial documents. Adjusting for inflation, that's an 18% jump since 2005, making athletics funding at public schools a key force in the rapidly escalating cost of higher education.

At nearly all schools, various mandatory fees are tacked on to tuition, and can cover everything from student health care to computers. But the largest portion often goes toward running the school's athletics department. In exchange, students typically get free or reduced admission to sporting events.

But when demand exceeds available student seating, some students can get shut out. Many aren't interested in the games anyway.

"She does go to some of the games," Linda Randall says of her daughter, "and it's nice that they let them in free. … But she's going there for the (academics); she's not going to fund athletics."

There were 42 Division I athletics departments that reported receiving no student-fee money in 2009, but some of those schools say student-fee money is included in institutional funding provided to athletics programs. Many schools help cover the gap between their athletics departments' expenses and revenue because they regard sports teams — especially football and men's basketball teams — as important parts of campus life and excellent vehicles for generating publicity and alumni support......"

"......But at NCAA Division I schools, athletics spending has been rising at a faster rate than increases in academic spending, prompting various higher-education groups to call for a change in priorities.

At least six schools — all in Virginia — charged each of their students more than $1,000 as an athletics fee for the 2008-09 school year. That ranged from 10% to more than 23% of the total tuition and mandatory-fee charges for in-state students, the primary customers at most public universities.

Sandy Baum, a policy analyst for the College Board and co-author of the organization's annual Trends in College Pricing report, asks: Is athletics "10% of what you're getting out of college?"

At least five states, including Virginia, ban or limit the use of public and/or tuition money for athletics. For some schools in those states, relatively large fee charges become an alternative. In other states, on top of dedicated fees that might or might not have been approved by students, athletics departments often get other financial support from their schools.

The Randalls are not the only parents who were unaware of the scope of the athletics fees. Among the 20 schools nationally that had the highest estimated per-student athletics fee charges in 2009, based on a USA TODAY analysis, 15 schools confirmed that they do not disclose their per-student athletics fee charges on their billing statements, websites or in other official school publications.

Officials at four of those 15 schools — Radford, James Madison, Longwood and Norfolk State, all of which are in Virginia — said the information could be found in an appendix of a state report.

At Virginia Military Institute, the athletics fee figure is "buried in our budget," says Col. Stewart MacInnis, a spokesman. "I had to go dig it out myself. It's not where anybody would go look for it. You've identified a weak spot."

Some schools don't reveal how much students pay toward athletics, to try to avoid controversy.

"Why would you?" asks Jack Boyle, vice president for business affairs and finance at Cleveland State, which was just outside the top 20 in estimated per-student athletics-fee charges.

" …Whenever we spell something out, somebody decides they don't want that service. We don't spell out in tuition that 1.8% of it goes to run the religion department. 'I'm an atheist. Why should I pay for them? I'd never go to any of their courses.' "

Schools' reluctance to make public how much athletics departments get from student fees runs counter to federal, and some state-level, efforts to require greater transparency of college costs.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 this year began requiring schools to annually report to the Education Department separate figures for tuition and required fees. (They had been allowed to report a combined figure.)

Starting in July 2011, schools with the largest percentage increases in price over the previous three years will be listed by the department and required to report the reasons for the increases and what will be done to cut costs......"

".....In June, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics advocated making student fees apparent as a means to reform athletics spending.

"At a time when the cost of attendance at college is going up at a very high rate, it's a matter of transparency and fairness and equity that people ought to know what they're spending their money on," commission co-chairman William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, said at that time. "I think that is a way of bringing pressure to bear — this transparency and this exposure of revenues and expenditures — and beginning to put a hold on, to tamp down, the rate of increase (of spending) in intercollegiate athletics."

After Kirwan's comments, USA TODAY found that two schools in the Maryland system were among the top 20 in estimated per-student athletics fee charges in 2009. Maryland-Baltimore County specifically disclosed its athletics fees on its website and the university system's; Towson provided only the amount of what the bursar's office's website called a "University Fee."

"We do not itemize each cost or fee," bursar Thomas Ruby says. "We do not get into that detail. That's how this university operates."

Kirwan said in early August that Towson's athletics fee is "in the public domain" because it was discussed at a system board of regents public meeting, but "it isn't as transparent as I think it should be. It ought to be more transparent on the website, and it will be addressed."

Within two days, Towson's athletics fee — $767 per student for the 2010-11 school year — had been posted on the university system's site; it remains unspecified on Towson's site.

The Center for College Affordability and Productivity, a Washington, D.C.-based research group, plans to survey students to see how many are aware of athletics fees. But even the center acknowledges that increasing accountability is tough — mostly because even if students are aware of the fee, they rarely are clear on the true cost, administrative director Matthew Denhart says.

Many students pay their college bills with loans, so they don't think about what the true cost will be. And third-party payers — parents, scholarships, Pell Grants — pass on the cost to someone else.

"There's a lot of, 'I'm not paying for it anyway, so why fight it?' " Denhart says........"

"........At Montana, however, the student body rejected a proposed athletics-fee increase, overriding action by elected student leaders. Representatives from the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM) approved a plan to boost the athletics fee to $144 annually from $92, but other students were so outraged that they forced the issue to be put to an all-campus vote in May. The plan was defeated by a 2-to-1 ratio.

ASUM President Ashleen Williams, who supported the fee increase, predicts the issue will come up again in the fall. "Sometimes you have to make hard decisions," she says. Relying heavily on ticket revenue to fund athletics is a "really risky game" because sales — which have been Montana's largest or second-largest revenue source each of the past five years — can wane if teams don't win....."

".......There are students who say they don't mind paying sizable athletics fees, regardless of whether the fees are specifically disclosed. James Madison University was another school among the top 20 in estimated per-student fee charges that did not disclose its specific athletics fee ($1,080 in 2008-09, according to the state report the school cited). Student body President Andrew Reese says that "it's not cause for much concern for (students)" because the school provides free admission to events, puts student sections in prime seating areas, and "athletics is a very big part of the student culture."....."

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[SDHornet]

Quietly? I recall seeing a line item for "athletics" on my tuition statements when I was a student. There were other line items for other things such as "student union fees", "school news paper fees", and the like.

[BDKJMU]

The 2nd article in the USA Today sports section has a big streamer picture at a JMU game:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/ ... titialskip" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[93henfan]

Scenes from the Harrisonburg (Va) Gay Pride Festival:

[BDKJMU]

Scenes from the Harrisonburg (Va) Gay Pride Festival:

In 9 days UD will be facing streamer hell.

[weberwildcat]

there must be a lot of ig'nant people out there like randy-lynn and her mom if this was news to them.

randy best start going to the games; get her moneys worth!!!

[bandl]

Scenes from the Harrisonburg (Va) Gay Pride Festival:

"U" is flexing so hard that he's about to blow "M" out of the picture

[Herky]

Scenes from the Harrisonburg (Va) Gay Pride Festival:

[BlackFalkin]

JMU=CAA's best in class!

[93henfan]

What people don't understand is that, yes, big time college football or basketball gets the $. But they also bring in the alumni to contribute to them AND to other programs as well. They get people on the campuses and help bring overall notice to the college/university.

To put it bluntly, colleges without sports, of any kind, are pretty dull places.

YOU GOT THAT SHIT RIGHT!

WELCOME TO THE BOARD!!!

[bluehenbillk]

Scenes from the Harrisonburg (Va) Gay Pride Festival:

Ha - that post never gets old!!

[Skjellyfetti]

Dude with the "U" chest looks for sure like the lost member of the Ambiguously Gay Duo.

[biobengal]

Big Sky Conference subsidies according to USA Today:

University-------------Total Subsidy-------%
Montana State---------$14,534,373----70.30%----- Surprised? I was too.
Sacramento State-----$13,722,863----79.10%----- 80%! Much of this originates from student fees.
North Dakota-----------$9,002,367----- 48.10%----- Big contribution, but less than 50% subsidy.
Portland State----------$8,634,521-----75.60%----- Wouldn't have athletics without support.
Northern Arizona-------$8,373,266-----78.40%----- Same as PSU.
Montana-----------------$7,504,478-----40.20%----- Smallest % subsidy.
Eastern Washington----$7,414,750-----72.70%----- Money well spent.
Southern Utah-----------$7,245,908-----77.90%----- Big subsidy, still underfunded for as many sports as they offer.
Weber State-------------$7,130,399-----64.60%----- Less than half the MSU total but WSU has more students.
Idaho State--------------$6,853,854-----63.20%----- Idaho State and UNC subsidize less than other BSC programs;
Northern Colorado------$6,532,281------59.20%----- results can be seen on the field.

[Catattack]

The numbers for both MSU & UM are easily researched from the MDOE and the numbers globbed together by USA Today are better explained.

[Tod]

After seeing those fees in the $800 - $1,000 range, I think it's hilarious that Montana students threw a fit about raising our fee to $144. I voted for the increase.

I do believe the fee is by semester and not annual, though. Still, pretty low.

[Grizalltheway]

After seeing those fees in the $800 - $1,000 range, I think it's hilarious that Montana students threw a fit about raising our fee to $144. I voted for the increase.

I do believe the fee is by semester and not annual, though. Still, pretty low.

Yeah, the last expansion was limited to 4,000 (instead of 8,000) because the students wouldn't approve the higher fee. Cheap bastards.

[ewudood]

For EWU at least, students get free admission to all sporting events except for post season. But having to pay student fees and then be charged admission to regular season events would be a total crock though.

[SDHornet]

For EWU at least, students get free admission to all sporting events except for post season. But having to pay student fees and then be charged admission to regular season events would be a total crock though.

We had the same policy at Sac State when I was a student. I would assume it has not changed.

[SeattleGriz]

Scenes from the Harrisonburg (Va) Gay Pride Festival:

In 9 days UD will be facing streamer hell.

What is the ultimate insult is that the students had to pay for the streamers as well.

[BlackFalkin]

After seeing those fees in the $800 - $1,000 range, I think it's hilarious that Montana students threw a fit about raising our fee to $144. I voted for the increase.

I do believe the fee is by semester and not annual, though. Still, pretty low.

Yeah, the last expansion was limited to 4,000 (instead of 8,000) because the students wouldn't approve the higher fee. Cheap bastards.

Whens the next expansion? And what will it be?

[uofmman1122]

Yeah, the last expansion was limited to 4,000 (instead of 8,000) because the students wouldn't approve the higher fee. Cheap bastards.

Whens the next expansion? And what will it be?

It's a good bet they'll probably update the west-side pressboxes. I'd like to see something like what ASU has.
They might add extra seating on that side, too, but I think Montana is at a good spot right now. If they add another 8,000 seats, we're going to start seeing some empty sections until the demand catches up.

They may expand the south endzone or finish the east-side expansion to the 8,000 they planned, but I remember reading an article after the last expansion finished where the UM admin said they want to "go west" with the next expansion.

As for when, unless we get a deep pocketed donor to step forward, it'll most like not be for another 5-10 years after we finish the locker room, weight rooms, and academic center upgrades.