Trustees pass 1-year student athletics fee

Board of Trustees President Frederick Eichhorn began Friday morning's meeting of the trustees by saying it could be really short or really long. \nWith the controversial $30 athletics fee on the day's agenda, it turned out to be the latter. After an hour of deliberating and amending, the trustees voted to impose the fee for one year and revisit the problem next spring.\nAs late as Thursday afternoon, IU President Adam Herbert was unsure of exactly what fee he would present to the board. A $3 increase on men's basketball tickets was the latest alternative brought to Herbert's attention, but in his opinion, the student athletics fee would make the most impact balancing the athletics department's budget.\n"At this point, it may not be the most popular choice," Herbert said. "But I do believe it is the right one to put this crisis behind us."\nHerbert made provisions in order to keep the fee in check. The original proposal included a $30 fee for the next four years -- an amount that could not be increased. The athletics department would also not be allowed to increase the price of student tickets or decrease the number of student seats at athletics events.\nThe price of a student football ticket purchased at the box office would be cut from $20 to between $11 and $15, encouraging non-season ticket holders to attend football games.\nThe athletics department would also have to report directly to the president and financial statements must be presented quarterly. Herbert said the athletics department will be held to the same high financial standards as the rest of the university. \nAfter Herbert's proposal, the floor was opened for discussion among the trustees. Trustee Stephen Ferguson spoke first in support of the fee, citing a responsibility to maintain IU's tradition of athletic success and the belief that athletics is a part of the college experience. \n"My philosophical bias is no fee, but given where we are today, I think we need to address the situation," Ferguson said. "We are a Big Ten institution, and I want to make sure we are first-class in athletics."\nTrustee Patrick Shoulders then explained his stance in opposition to the fee, calling it a "Band-Aid" being used to cover up the problem. He said the first problem was the fact the fee was a student "athletics" fee. He expressed interest in raising the student "activity" fee from $62.60 to $100 per semester, agreeing athletics are a part of the college experience, just like other activities.\nSuch an increase would raise twice as much money, but he believed students should also get some kind of compensation for paying more, such as free football or theater tickets. \n"I just don't believe we've received the full input and full investigation on all the options," Shoulders said. \nHe then proposed a motion to table the vote until the June meeting, hoping the extra month would allow for more research into the fee and other alternatives.\nThe motion to table tied 4 to 4, and Eichhorn cast the deciding vote in favor to table the vote until the June meeting.\nIUSA President Tyson Chastain said the short time frame didn't allow for enough student input.\n"The students aren't in favor of any increase but we still have to support the athletic department," Chastain said. "In the future, we hope something like this will go through the proper process, so it can have more student input."\nThe motion to table opened up more discussion, including Herbert asking the trustees for guidance to help him understand what they expected at the June meeting. After more trustees voiced their concerns, Shoulders proposed to overturn his previous motion so the fee could be voted on at the current meeting. \n"The vote seemed to be a foregone conclusion, but this will buy us at least one year," Shoulders said. "In my experience, though, once a fee is implemented, it is hard to get rid of it."\nIt passed unanimously and the vote on the fee was reopened. After more deliberation, an amendment was made to impose the fee for only one year with all of the provisions from Herbert's original proposal. Next year, a long-term plan to eliminate the deficit could then be implemented. \nThe trustees all approved the amended motion, except Shoulders, who cast the only vote against it. \nThe $30 athletics fee will raise nearly $1.15 million for the athletics department next year as they attempt to climb out of a deficit of almost $2 million. \nIUSA President Tyson Chastain said although students are opposed to the fee, they will have more input next year when the new plan is being formulated.\n"This was a win and a loss," he said. "It's hard for students to support the decision, but we are going to contact student organizations and work toward finding another plan for next year." \n-- Contact staff writer David Paulen at dpaulen@indiana.edu.