The Pacer

Issue date: 2/13/07 Section: Campus News

Media Credit: Jason Jackson

Phil Dane

Few people disagree with the UTM Athletic Department's desire for winning sports teams and better facilities. But what could cause contention is how they want to pay for them.

Director of Athletics Phil Dane wants students to help pay for what he calls "desperately needed improvements." He proposed a $50-per-semester student fee increase at the meeting of the Student Government Association Senate on Thursday.

SGA President James Orr referred the proposal to the Procedures Committee, who will report findings of its research to the full Senate in March.

Already, students pay $104 every semester in an athletic activity fee, which comprises 43 percent - the biggest chunk - of students' $241 student activity fee. But Dane said after ongoing state athletics funding decreases, the burden for competitive teams has to come from somewhere. After weighing his options, he said the only option was to petition SGA for a fee increase.

The UT Board of Trustees approved a $27 athletics fee increase in June 2004.

In a list of reasons why students should support a fee increase, Dane said increases to athletics fees have not kept pace with tuition increases; ticket sales do not provide adequate funding; UTM's athletic facilities are inferior to other Ohio Valley Conference schools; and NCAA policies have led to increased recruiting requirements.

Dane said his department has tried other ways to fund athletics programs, but attempts to generate more private funding and other efforts have all fallen short. He said a $50-per-semester fee increase, which would net $582,000 per year, will fund $120,000 in new assistant coach salaries, and three new positions in the department. Dane said money generated by the fee would not pay for any student-athlete scholarships.

In addition to assistant coach positions, the fee would fund an assistant sports information director, an athletics internship coordinator - which Dane said would benefit students from all academic programs - and a marketing assistant. Dane said UTM teams need more than $60,000 for travel and $45,000 in additional recruiting funds.

If SGA votes to increase student athletics fees, UTM would have the most expensive athletics fee among non-bowl-playing football teams in Tennessee. If UTM raises its fee to $154, the second most expensive fees would be from UT Chattanooga, which has a $120 fee. However, Dane noted East Tennessee University has already proposed to increase their fee to $200 per student each semester, but would raise the fee gradually.

But Dane said UTM students would pay more than other students at Tennessee schools because UTM's enrollment is lower than any other NCAA Division I college in the state. After UTM's 2006 enrollment of 5,968 students, next from the bottom was Austin Peay, with 7,443.

"There's no way to get around (it) if we want to play sports along the same lines as our sister institutions across the state. Somebody's going to have to pay more per person," Dane said. "Somebody's going to have to pay a bigger piece of the pie."

Dane did acknowledge increased enrollment would help increase the amount of money raised in fees, but he said it would take a long time to make up for the 1,500-student deficit UTM has with Austin Peay.

Dane added he knows his pitch would fall on tougher ears among students uninterested in sports. But he said a more efficient athletics program would benefit even those students.

"Success in athletics helps academic programs," Dane said. "You get increased enrollment as a result of the visibility from your athletic teams. You are who you play."

Some senators asked why UTM's teams couldn't play larger, high-profile teams as a source of income. Dane said playing those "guarantee" games, which bring in about $60,000 each, can be demoralizing and lead to player injuries. He said football already plays one "guarantee" game, and basketball plays four every year. Dane said playing games for money is an unstable income source.

Others questioned the timing of Dane's proposal, noting that his request comes on the heels of UTM's Ohio Valley Conference football championship in 2006.

Dane said he has been considering asking for a fee increase since February 2006, but added he said the football team's success provided auspicious timing.

"I don't mind confessing at all the football team's success helps," Dane said. "From our standpoint, (the timing) worked out very nicely. Students who at one time could have been laughing at our lack of success are now taking it as a source of pride, even for people who are not athletic zealots.

"I think that's a benefit for us in terms of any prospect of having (the fee increase) passed," he added.

SGA President Orr asked Dane where UTM athletics would be in three years with a fee increase, and Dane said there would be no excuse for UTM's athletic teams not to be competing in conference championships in all sports.

UTM head football coach Jason Simpson also spoke to SGA in favor of a fee increase, echoing Dane's statement that a better-funded football and athletics program would reflect well on the campus as a whole.

"Some people have said your football team is the front porch of your university," Simpson said. "You may be asking, 'What is this going to do for me?' Let us entertain you on Saturday. We want to get the secret out that UT Martin is a great place."

In other SGA news, the Senate approved legislation to conduct a "safety walk" to identify hazardous and dimly lighted areas on campus. The legislation also will conduct a review of campus emergency call boxes, which bill co-sponsor Sen. Kaylis Magras said are too sparsely distributed. Sen. Eric Lipford also sponsored the bill, which came out of the Campus Observation Committee.

Additionally, the Senate approved a new SGA historian position, who will maintain SGA records and keep a scrapbook. After taking effect in the Fall 2007 semester, the SGA historian, chosen by the SGA Executive Council and confirmed by the Senate, will receive a books scholarship and a digital camera.

Speak Out! - What are your thoughts on the fee increase?

Web extras:

Athletic Director Phil Dane's presentation to SGA (PDF)

SGA campus security legislation (PDF)

SGA historian legislation (PDF)

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