UNT Board increases student fees for athletics

[Harry]

This topic has come up recently so I did a little digging and was able to find some interesting information on the UNT System site.

I came across this .pdf document which outlines the increase and it does specifically mention that it is for student athletics along with some other area (retention, engagement and wellness):

https://untsystem.edu/regents/agendas/13-03-26/2013-19%20Approval%20of%20Increase%20to%20UNT%20Student%20Services%20Fee.pdf

You can read the entire thing if you have a PDF reader but the key sentence is: "An increase of $1.31 cents per SCH (semester credit hour) from $13.10 to $14.41 would generate approximately $1,200,000 per year."

This is slated to begin in the Fall semester of 2013.

[JKvsHimself]

Hopefully they'll continue to make the much needed improvements to the athletic department.

This just gave me a little more hope.

[cdizzle86]

Great find Harry and much needed budget increase!

[emmitt01]

1.2 million. That's the paycheck for an Iowa or a Tennessee game, right?

Edited June 13, 2013 by emmitt01

[DeepGreen]

Not saying it is right or wrong for students to pay for athletics, but if you are wondering why we seemingly are "sucking wind' in all things athletics, this may wake you up to reality. This athletics fee makes ours look like chump change.

From the UTSA site-

Tuition and Mandatory Fees

The following charges are assessed to all students each semester whether or not the student uses or takes full advantage of the underlying service provided by the fee.

Tuition. Pursuant to Subchapter B, Chapter 54, Texas Education Code, each student who registers at UTSA is required to pay tuition (see “Exemption from Tuition, Fees, and Charges” in this chapter) according to the number of semester credit hours for which registration is completed and according to his or her residence classification (see the Fiscal Services Web site).

Athletics Fee. A charge of $19 per semester credit hour with a maximum of $228 per semester is assessed all students to provide funding for UTSA athletic programs.

Note: I did not look up the "Exemption from Tuition, Fees, and Charges. I assume these athletic funds are used for renting the Alamodome.

Edited June 13, 2013 by DeepGreen

[Stan R]

encouraging news.

[glick1980]

Great news. I emailed the SSG president in May and he assured me that something was being done. GMG!

[PlummMeanGreen]

You know we just only recently built a new football stadium during the worst economic time in the USA since the Great Depression that would most likely cost a minimum of $100,000,000 to $125,000,000 to build today. Thanks UNT students and private financeers for that.

No, it's not enough compared to others, but those other school's leaders have not asked their respective student bodies to build and significantly fund a new college football stadium from scratch, either.

Isn't it easy to believe this UNT BOR's will not leave this UNT athletic dept. at the train station and will vote for graduated student fee increases the next however long it takes to catch up and most likely pass the ones we know this needs to happen with?

Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out, but who we get as our new main campus president will be very important for the continued upgrading of a program that has been 25 years behind in quality athletic venues across the board save the Super Pit.

GMG!

Edited June 13, 2013 by PlummMeanGreen

[TIgreen01]

So, if it is currently set at $13.10, that means that the BOR has been increasing the fee in most years since it started at $10, correct?

[Travis]

So, if it is currently set at $13.10, that means that the BOR has been increasing the fee in most years since it started at $10, correct?

I am under the impression that they have every intention to slowly increase it to the max.

[UNT90]

Are we talking about an increase to the dedicated athletic fee, or some general fund increase that affects athletics?

EDIT: after actually reading what was posted, it is very clear that this is not an increase to the dedicated athletic fee, and I doubt a major percentage of the money from this increase ever sees any athletic program. This is a student service fee.

UTSA has a $20 per semester hour DEDICATED ATHLETICS FEE, which means it can only be used for ATHLETICS.

We haven't raised our DEDICATED ATHLETICS FEE, which is $10 a semester hour, and doesn't appear that we are able to do so (THANKS FOR NOTHING, LEE JACKSON!!).

Edited June 13, 2013 by UNT90

[Green P1]

Parade.... Rained on.

[bdan2002]

PLEASE NOTE:

The SSF and Athletics Fee are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. The fee that was raised by 10% is the Student Service Fee. By State law, that is the max the BOR can raise it without student approval. This is used for things like Counseling and Testing, and Student Activities. Because we went to an Athletics Fee, Athletics is no longer able to get any SSF monies as it had in the past.

[MeanGreen61]

So sad isn't it ? Guess North Texas needs to be envious and jealous of all. Everyone does everything so much better.

TIC

Edited June 13, 2013 by MeanGreen61

[glick1980]

DOH! Looking back at my emails. The SSG President told me that the fee was set to be raised from $10 to $15 per hour in the Fall of 2013, but the Board of Regents does not have the power to raise the fee, that can only be done by the state legislature. How accurate that is I don't know.

[bdan2002]

There is hope. I was looking at the bill language (and unless there was a change) the BOR does have power to raise the fee no more than 10% without a student vote.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, by adding Section 54.5191, as follows:

Sec. 54.5191. INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS FEE; UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS. (a) Authorizes the board of regents of the University of North Texas System to charge each student enrolled at the University of North Texas (UNT) an intercollegiate athletics fee in an amount not to exceed $10 per semester credit hour for each semester or summer session.

(Requires a student enrolled in more than 15 semester credit hours to pay the fee in an amount equal to the amount imposed on a student enrolled in 15 semester credit hours during the same semester or session.

© Prohibits the fee from being charged before the first semester a new football stadium is available for use at UNT.

(d) Requires that if compulsory student services fees are charged to students enrolled at UNT under Section 54.503 (Student Service Fees), the total amount of those fees charged to a student be reduced by $3 per semester credit hour for the first semester in which an intercollegiate athletics fee is charged under this section.

(e) Authorizes revenue from the fee charged under this section to be used only for financing, constructing, operating, maintaining, or improving an athletic facility or for operating an intercollegiate athletics program at UNT.

(f) Prohibits the fee from being charged unless approved by a majority vote of the students enrolled at UNT who participate in a general student election held for that purpose. Requires that the ballot for the election to approve the fee state a maximum amount of the fee that may be charged per semester credit hour, not to exceed the maximum amount prescribed by Subsection (a).

(g) Prohibits the amount of the fee from increasing to an amount that exceeds by 10 percent or more the amount of the fee as last approved by a student vote under Subsection (f) or this subsection unless the increase has been approved by a majority vote of the students enrolled at UNT who participate in a general student election held for that purpose.

(h) Requires the chief fiscal officer of UNT to collect the fee and deposit the revenue from the fee in an account to be known as the intercollegiate athletics fee account.

(i) Provides that a fee charged under this section is not considered in determining the maximum amount of student services fees that may be charged each student enrolled at UNT under Section 54.503 (Student Service Fees).

Edited June 13, 2013 by bdan2002

[UNT90]

DOH! Looking back at my emails. The SSG President told me that the fee was set to be raised from $10 to $15 per hour in the Fall of 2013, but the Board of Regents does not have the power to raise the fee, that can only be done by the state legislature. How accurate that is I don't know.

We should have had people in Austin during this last session trying to get the DEDICATED ATHLETICS FEE re-worked to $20 per semester hour.

I would be shocked if we even considered it.

[DallasGreen]

We should have had people in Austin during this last session trying to get the DEDICATED ATHLETICS FEE re-worked to $20 per semester hour.

I would be shocked if we even considered it.

Amen Notice that initially $3. student fee had to be reduced to get $10. Dedicated Athletic Fee. This means initially increase was only $7. per semester hour vs. $20. @ UTSA & TS@SM. How can we compete when we continually fear a student vote? Other great universities such as the two land grant schools arbitrarily increase ANY fee they want and students who don't agree don't let the door hit them in the behind as they exit. I want to be the best not necessarily the cheapest. The pub sought by being the cheapest actually serves to degrade our status to qualified students and attracts commuter parasites and JUCOs with no previous allegiance. Stadium bonds were called on 04/15 so someone got funds to retire these prematurely. Bond had been AA rated and were 5 percent tax free so they were a good investment. As I have been told by RV great athletic programs are built and maintained with donor funds and not by students, but we have gone to extremes to placate those now getting a

Neiman Marcus education at a Walmart price.BE THE BEST. Let someone else be the cheapest.

[shaft]

It's easy to call for fee/tax hikes when you don't have to pay them.

With that said how about a $100 fee per hour.

[UNT90]

It's easy to call for fee/tax hikes when you don't have to pay them.

With that said how about a $100 fee per hour.

Students don't have to pay them, either. They can head on over to SFA, SHSU, or even UTA if they don't want to pay what students at UTSA and TX St pay.

Interesting that we have had record enrollments the 1st two years of the dreaded (by some) dedicated athletic fee. Seems it really isn't that big of an issue for incoming students.

[All About UNT]

Students don't have to pay them, either. They can head on over to SFA, SHSU, or even UTA if they don't want to pay what students at UTSA and TX St pay.

Interesting that we have had record enrollments the 1st two years of the dreaded (by some) dedicated athletic fee. Seems it really isn't that big of an issue for incoming students.

Sports are for fascists man......

[JesseMartin]

DOH! Looking back at my emails. The SSG President told me that the fee was set to be raised from $10 to $15 per hour in the Fall of 2013, but the Board of Regents does not have the power to raise the fee, that can only be done by the state legislature. How accurate that is I don't know.

Well, anything that goes from either a student vote, or the SSF committee, or any other means to the BOR is still a part of the budget that as to be approved by the Legislature, especially anything new. Increases are usually passed pretty easily, but new fees (a la rec center) are sometimes blown off, tabled as leverage against other Reps, etc.

(g) Prohibits the amount of the fee from increasing to an amount that exceeds by 10 percent or more the amount of the fee as last approved by a student vote under Subsection (f) or this subsection unless the increase has been approved by a majority vote of the students enrolled at UNT who participate in a general student election held for that purpose.

That's odd, but good "cover your rear" increase requirements. Some fees can be upped by more than the standard amount if the SGA (not the whole student population) votes. Looks like this one only allows for 10% TOTAL, as opposed to graduated, increase without mandating a fee election. So the dedicated fee can only move from $10 to $11 without a new vote by all students...interesting. Maybe they were hoping that the "investment" by the students with the Athletics Fee would lead to enough success or interest to improve donations?

We should have had people in Austin during this last session trying to get the DEDICATED ATHLETICS FEE re-worked to $20 per semester hour.

I would be shocked if we even considered it.

Without a student vote, that's not likely to happen. I mean, yes, the legislature could rewrite that section of the education code to change the fee amount and hand it down to UNT, but really, even when the students ASK for something it can be hard to get it approved, let alone seeing the legislature listen to Jackson and co. if they wanted to circumvent a student vote and have the legislature up the fees just because the admin asked for it. Honestly, it's easier to get students to vote for stuff than to get the legislature to do something like that. Opposition can be "loud" when fee increases are proposed, but as it turns out this is usually just a very vocal minority. If it's for something they want, or to keep funding necessary services, most students will automatically vote "yes", especially when they see that it's a very small percentage of their overall costs for the semester.

[UNT90]

Well, anything that goes from either a student vote, or the SSF committee, or any other means to the BOR is still a part of the budget that as to be approved by the Legislature, especially anything new. Increases are usually passed pretty easily, but new fees (a la rec center) are sometimes blown off, tabled as leverage against other Reps, etc.

That's odd, but good "cover your rear" increase requirements. Some fees can be upped by more than the standard amount if the SGA (not the whole student population) votes. Looks like this one only allows for 10% TOTAL, as opposed to graduated, increase without mandating a fee election. So the dedicated fee can only move from $10 to $11 without a new vote by all students...interesting. Maybe they were hoping that the "investment" by the students with the Athletics Fee would lead to enough success or interest to improve donations?

Without a student vote, that's not likely to happen. I mean, yes, the legislature could rewrite that section of the education code to change the fee amount and hand it down to UNT, but really, even when the students ASK for something it can be hard to get it approved, let alone seeing the legislature listen to Jackson and co. if they wanted to circumvent a student vote and have the legislature up the fees just because the admin asked for it. Honestly, it's easier to get students to vote for stuff than to get the legislature to do something like that. Opposition can be "loud" when fee increases are proposed, but as it turns out this is usually just a very vocal minority. If it's for something they want, or to keep funding necessary services, most students will automatically vote "yes", especially when they see that it's a very small percentage of their overall costs for the semester.

Point is, the first student vote allowed for the fee to be increased $2 per year until it maxed out at $20 per semester hour, but apparently Dallas Lee failed (yet again) to protect this part (and several others) of the original student vote when it went to the legislature.

We really must be masochists to follow UNT Sports. I mean, the administration has done everything but send us an email to say that they simply won't support athletics, and yet we just keep coming back for losing season after losing season.

[Travis]

Students don't have to pay them, either. They can head on over to SFA, SHSU, or even UTA if they don't want to pay what students at UTSA and TX St pay.

I enjoy UNT90's posts quite often, but I am not sure about the attitude in this one. We need to find a balance between what we put on the students. I graduated in 2004 and paid all of my schooling and came out debt free. There is no way I would have been able to do that with todays fees.

I know many other schools lesser and bigger require a lot more of their students... but, I don't think we necessarily have to be them in that way.

We are making it harder and harder for kids to get through school. Sports, a new union, a new parking garage, business building, etc is all well and good. but, it is sad when it cripples the students ability to get by.

[UNT90]

I enjoy UNT90's posts quite often, but I am not sure about the attitude in this one. We need to find a balance between what we put on the students. I graduated in 2004 and paid all of my schooling and came out debt free. There is no way I would have been able to do that with todays fees.

I know many other schools lesser and bigger require a lot more of their students... but, I don't think we necessarily have to be them in that way.

We are making it harder and harder for kids to get through school. Sports, a new union, a new parking garage, business building, etc is all well and good. but, it is sad when it cripples the students ability to get by.

If there was any evidence of it being "crippling" to students, I would agree. There isn't.

A simple look at the enrollment numbers show that the fee has done nothing to slow down enrollment. In fact, having the stadium (which wouldn't be here if not for the fee) may have actually helped increase enrollment figures.

If we were seeing enrollment wane, I would share your concerns. We aren''t.

We need to either decide to do everything it takes to be a successful BCS program or take our butts back to FCS. It's cheating the students, the alums, and the athletes to pretend to be a major college athletic program and then not put forth the resources or the effort to actually be that program.

Edited June 13, 2013 by UNT90