Resolution 45

A RESOLUTION TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO STATE STUDENT SENATE’S POSITION ON THE INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS FEE INCREASE REQUEST

Short Title: Intercollegiate Athletics Fee Increase Proposal

Sponsors: Senators Hoynacke (Corresponding)

Signatories:

Referred to:

Version: Initial

First Reading: September 26, 2012 Second Reading: [Fast-track intended]

WHEREAS, Intercollegiate Athletics is requesting a $17.50 fee increase to take affect in the 2013-2014 school year; and,

WHEREAS, the Department of Athletics supports 23 intercollegiate athletic teams comprised of more than 560 student athletes competing in nearly 200 events annually, entertaining annually more than 950,000 fans in 7 athletic venues; and,

WHEREAS, the Department of Athletics asserts that an operational fee increase will ensure these student-athletes have the best possible academic and athletic experience as NC State competes in the ACC for national recognition; and,

WHEREAS, NC State currently ranks 7th among the 8 public ACC Universities in per sport spending and 6th out of 8 in per student athlete spending, and NC State also has the lowest student fee assigned for Athletic operations among the 16 universities in the UNC System; and,

WHEREAS, NC State students currently support the Athletic Program with a fee of $227.00 per year; and,

WHEREAS, the requested increase will move Athletics toward its goal of an Athletic Operations fee equal to the average fee for the ACC Public Universities and a per sport expenditure amount equal to the average of the ACC Public Universities; and,

WHEREAS, achieving this goal will bolster compliance with Title IX equity in athletics, enhance NC State’s sports programs, and enhance the academic achievement of NC State’s student-athletes by ensuring NC State can hire and retain the best coaches and academic counselors; and,

WHEREAS, the Department of Athletics claims that funds provided by this fee increase will allow them to continue to do the following:

(1) Focus on the enhancements to academic support for student athletes, resulting in improved academic metrics.

(2) Fund professionals in their compliance unit, including a financial aid position to ensure all funds for student athletes are maximized responsibly.

(3) Fund tutors, computers, and academic course supplies.

(4) Continue to grow their sport operation budgets to allow their 23 teams to compete on a level playing field with other ACC institutions, and

(5) Insure that their teams have the financial support to travel safely and efficiently; and,

WHEREAS, over the past five years, Athletics has requested an operations fee increase totaling $119.50 and has been awarded increases totaling $100.50; and,

WHEREAS, NC State Athletics believes this invaluable support has helped them achieve the following:

(1) Moved NC State from 89th to 37th in the NCAA DI Directors Cup for competitive excellence in two years (Biggest 2-year jump by any ACC School in the history of the Director’s Cup).

(2) A record 10 student –athletes were named Academic All-Americans (NC State was the only D-I program with two women’s basketball academic All-Americans) in 2012.

(3) A record 391 student-athletes were named NCSU scholar athletes (3.0 GPA or higher) in 2012.

(4) A record 186 student-athletes were NCSU Dean’s List honorees in 2012.

(5) A record 86 Student Athletes Graduated in May 2012.

(6) Three student-athletes were inducted into the Zeta of North Carolina chapter of Phi Beta Kappa (one of the highest academic honor an NCSU student can earn) in 2012.

(7) 15 NCSU teams participated in national post-season competition.

(8) Provided 10,000 student seats at Carter Finley and 4,000 student seats at the PNC Arena; and,

WHEREAS, all revenue for the operations of NC State Athletics is generated through ticket sales, conference television revenue, student fees, multi-media rights, concessions and merchandising, fundraising, etc, and the department receives no state funding; now therefore be it,

RESOLVED, the Student Senate supports a fee increase of $10 out of the requested $17.50, as we greatly appreciate and understand the positive impact that having high quality intercollegiate athletic programs has (1) on student life at NC State, (2) on building and strengthening a sense of Wolfpack pride in our alumni and current students, and (3) on increasing NC State’s visibility as a top-tier academic and co-curricular institution; and be it further,

RESOLVED, the Student Senate also appreciates the support and willingness of the Department of Athletics to continue to work closely with student leadership at NC State to make the intercollegiate athletic experience as enjoyable as possible for NC State students, which has included things such as continuing to provide student tickets to athletic events that are free of cost; and be it further,

RESOLVED, the Student Senate also believes that an increase to our current Intercollegiate Athletics fee (which is a significant increase to student fees when compared to the other fee requests for the 2013-2014 academic year) will make a negligible impact on the success of NC State’s athletics programs, as the fee contribution of $17.50 per student would increase the total yearly athletic budget by a very small amount (in this case, the total budget would rise by just slightly over 1%); and be it further,

RESOLVED, that over the past five years the Department of Athletics has acquired over $10 million of revenue from other sources (not student fees) and that the revenue gained from student fees has contributed only $2.5 million to their yearly budget over that same time frame, which only strengthens the case that the Department of Athletics is not only able to find sources of revenue from other places to support their mission (unlike many other student fees), but that the impact of student fees on their success is negligible; and be it further,

RESOLVED, the Student Senate believes that during these times of economic recession that university costs should not be passed onto students, via student fees, unless there is a dire need to do so, and that every office, program, and department on campus, including the Department of Athletics, should look to use their current budgets more effectively by thinking carefully about their programming and mission, and reorganizing their budgets and spending habits to align with that thinking; and be it further,

RESOLVED, that the Student Senate requests the Chancellor and Fee Review Committee give strong consideration to these recommendations.