Reject Fee and Demand Alternative Funding for UO Student Tickets
Reject Fee and Demand Alternative Funding for UO Student Tickets
The Issue
As the students, staff, faculty, and community members at the University of Oregon, we demand that the University Administration seek an alternative route for athletics tickets funding, rather than imposing the cost on students. We support the decisions of the ASUO Senate and Executive on this front and hope the University Administration will hear the calls of students on this issue.
The cost of these athletics tickets should be the responsibility of the athletics department and the university, not the students. Due to the unique nature of ASUO’s agreement with Athletics, ASUO held very little negotiating power within the agreement. Because a legal contract between two parties functioning within the same institution (in this case, ASUO and UO Athletics) is illegal, ASUO and Athletics were in a mutual agreement rather than a contract, allowing for a significant decrease in ASUO’s negotiating power. Due to this, Athletics was able to negotiate ticket costs from 48% of market value in 2015 to 80% of market value last fiscal year, 2020. This year, ASUO decided to remove this agreement from its budget due to its at-face inequity and lack of transparency. As a result, the administration is now proposing a new athletic fee in order to replace the removal of the athletics agreement while still providing students with access to the ticket lottery.
We will not accept yet another mandatory fee on students or this cost being paid by the student incidental fee for a service few students will receive access to. This new mandatory fee places an undue financial burden on students for a service that is both limited and irrelevant to the purpose of education, student support, and student growth. We believe that athletics are an integral part of the culture at the University. In fact, Autzen is known for its powerful and spirited student section. Therefore, students should not be forced to choose between the opportunity to partake in these events and having their basic needs met. Any fee should actively and completely support any student who wishes to access the program it funds. By implementing a mandatory athletics fee—for a service that many students choose not to or are unable to access—the administration is imposing a cost upon students wholly irrelevant to their education, personal necessities, or basic needs. Current programs in place at the university allow any student to access them, the athletics lottery system is exclusive but still forces all students to pay.
Instead, we hope the university can implement programs similar to other universities that either make the fees optional, or do not place the cost on students at all. For example, the systems in place at universities like the University of Texas and University of Alabama, which both have sports programs similar in magnitude to the University of Oregon.
Furthermore, we encourage the university to seek out funds from the Athletics department itself and from UO donors to cover this cost. According to the 2019 athletic budget, there was an estimated $121 million in revenue for the fiscal year, none of which was put back into the university. Instead, they’ve funded luxuries such as private soaking tubs for coaches, a gaming lounge for football players, private barbers, and nap pods. In an era of record student loan debt and escalating tuition fees, UO’s academic departments are forced to trim costs wherever they can. Yet our athletic department continues to spend freely and even accept money from academia that could fund academic and basic needs programs, despite the fact that they receive the majority of donor money and are the most profitable program within the university. Therefore, it is well within the means of the athletic department to find an alternative method of funding for student tickets.
While we acknowledge that athletics is an important part of campus, this is not a cost that students should continue to bear, especially during a pandemic and economic recession. Ultimately, we are a university, thus, we expect our administration to advocate for its students over anything. Please hear the calls of students and the ASUO on this and make the right decision. Student tickets should not be a part of the student incidental fee and certainly not a new mandatory fee.
If you are interested more in the history of this decision:
Historically, students paid for access to the ticket lottery to athletics events through the I-fee, a student fee that pays for a wide variety of ASUO funded programs. This past fiscal year, students paid $25.50 per term out of the total I-fee ($271.25) towards access to the ticket lottery for men’s basketball and football alone. This agreement with the Athletic Department dates back to 1987, but the lottery system has only been in place for 12 years. This access allows students to use the lottery system for men’ basketball and football games, but does not guarantee tickets as there are a limited number. Students pay the Athletic Department more than $1.7 million every year so a handful of students can receive “free” game day tickets. About $1.6 million of the total contract pays for football tickets, and the rest goes to tickets for men’s basketball. Because a legal contract between two parties functioning within the same institution (in this case, ASUO and UO Athletics) is illegal, ASUO and Athletics were in a mutual agreement rather than a contract, allowing for a significant decrease in ASUO’s negotiating power. Due to this, Athletics was able to negotiate ticket costs from 48% of market value in 2015 to 80% of market value last fiscal year, 2020. As a result, this year, ASUO decided to remove this agreement from ASUO’s budget due to its at-face inequity and lack of transparency. ASUO decided to re-allocate this $1.7 million to basic needs programs, including textbook subsidies, emergency housing subsidies, free menstrual products, and a basic needs coordinator.
Read More Here:
UO students spend $5 million a year on athletics
Email Sent from ASUO President Isaiah Boyd
ASUO Announces $1729255 of New Student Assistance
ASUO will no longer pay for student tickets
899
The Issue
As the students, staff, faculty, and community members at the University of Oregon, we demand that the University Administration seek an alternative route for athletics tickets funding, rather than imposing the cost on students. We support the decisions of the ASUO Senate and Executive on this front and hope the University Administration will hear the calls of students on this issue.
The cost of these athletics tickets should be the responsibility of the athletics department and the university, not the students. Due to the unique nature of ASUO’s agreement with Athletics, ASUO held very little negotiating power within the agreement. Because a legal contract between two parties functioning within the same institution (in this case, ASUO and UO Athletics) is illegal, ASUO and Athletics were in a mutual agreement rather than a contract, allowing for a significant decrease in ASUO’s negotiating power. Due to this, Athletics was able to negotiate ticket costs from 48% of market value in 2015 to 80% of market value last fiscal year, 2020. This year, ASUO decided to remove this agreement from its budget due to its at-face inequity and lack of transparency. As a result, the administration is now proposing a new athletic fee in order to replace the removal of the athletics agreement while still providing students with access to the ticket lottery.
We will not accept yet another mandatory fee on students or this cost being paid by the student incidental fee for a service few students will receive access to. This new mandatory fee places an undue financial burden on students for a service that is both limited and irrelevant to the purpose of education, student support, and student growth. We believe that athletics are an integral part of the culture at the University. In fact, Autzen is known for its powerful and spirited student section. Therefore, students should not be forced to choose between the opportunity to partake in these events and having their basic needs met. Any fee should actively and completely support any student who wishes to access the program it funds. By implementing a mandatory athletics fee—for a service that many students choose not to or are unable to access—the administration is imposing a cost upon students wholly irrelevant to their education, personal necessities, or basic needs. Current programs in place at the university allow any student to access them, the athletics lottery system is exclusive but still forces all students to pay.
Instead, we hope the university can implement programs similar to other universities that either make the fees optional, or do not place the cost on students at all. For example, the systems in place at universities like the University of Texas and University of Alabama, which both have sports programs similar in magnitude to the University of Oregon.
Furthermore, we encourage the university to seek out funds from the Athletics department itself and from UO donors to cover this cost. According to the 2019 athletic budget, there was an estimated $121 million in revenue for the fiscal year, none of which was put back into the university. Instead, they’ve funded luxuries such as private soaking tubs for coaches, a gaming lounge for football players, private barbers, and nap pods. In an era of record student loan debt and escalating tuition fees, UO’s academic departments are forced to trim costs wherever they can. Yet our athletic department continues to spend freely and even accept money from academia that could fund academic and basic needs programs, despite the fact that they receive the majority of donor money and are the most profitable program within the university. Therefore, it is well within the means of the athletic department to find an alternative method of funding for student tickets.
While we acknowledge that athletics is an important part of campus, this is not a cost that students should continue to bear, especially during a pandemic and economic recession. Ultimately, we are a university, thus, we expect our administration to advocate for its students over anything. Please hear the calls of students and the ASUO on this and make the right decision. Student tickets should not be a part of the student incidental fee and certainly not a new mandatory fee.
If you are interested more in the history of this decision:
Historically, students paid for access to the ticket lottery to athletics events through the I-fee, a student fee that pays for a wide variety of ASUO funded programs. This past fiscal year, students paid $25.50 per term out of the total I-fee ($271.25) towards access to the ticket lottery for men’s basketball and football alone. This agreement with the Athletic Department dates back to 1987, but the lottery system has only been in place for 12 years. This access allows students to use the lottery system for men’ basketball and football games, but does not guarantee tickets as there are a limited number. Students pay the Athletic Department more than $1.7 million every year so a handful of students can receive “free” game day tickets. About $1.6 million of the total contract pays for football tickets, and the rest goes to tickets for men’s basketball. Because a legal contract between two parties functioning within the same institution (in this case, ASUO and UO Athletics) is illegal, ASUO and Athletics were in a mutual agreement rather than a contract, allowing for a significant decrease in ASUO’s negotiating power. Due to this, Athletics was able to negotiate ticket costs from 48% of market value in 2015 to 80% of market value last fiscal year, 2020. As a result, this year, ASUO decided to remove this agreement from ASUO’s budget due to its at-face inequity and lack of transparency. ASUO decided to re-allocate this $1.7 million to basic needs programs, including textbook subsidies, emergency housing subsidies, free menstrual products, and a basic needs coordinator.
Read More Here:
UO students spend $5 million a year on athletics
Email Sent from ASUO President Isaiah Boyd
ASUO Announces $1729255 of New Student Assistance
ASUO will no longer pay for student tickets
899
The Decision Makers
Petition created on February 17, 2021