OUR VIEWS Consensus Opinion

The Athletic Association (AA)'s recent request to increase the mandatory athletic fee may upset students, who often resent every dime the Institute requires them to pay, but it is important that we keep the proposed change in perspective. Though the change would be a 75 percent increase of $96 per year, it is not an unreasonable amount.

Still, any increase will be frustrating to students, especially since the HOPE scholarship has a fee cap. However, the fee increase is necessary; Dan Radakovich inherited an athletic program that is unstable and losing money rapidly-approximately $3 million a year.

Many students, particularly graduate students, who do not attend athletic events may be especially upset with this development, but good alternatives seem nonexistant. For instance, the choice to raise the fee by a flat rate is far superior to charging students for tickets, which would inevitably hurt event attendance. If the extra cost is incorporated in a mandatory fee, the AA can be certain of the revenue, and students will not be in the position of choosing whether to go to a game or not based on the extra out-of-pocket expense. Also, if our athletic programs are going to have room to grow in order to make more money in the future, they need to have financial stability now.

Nor are the students the only ones taking on the extra expense as season ticket holders will also see an increase in their ticket prices. It is commendable that the AA is raising prices across the board and not putting the sole responsibility on the students. Alienating the students would amount to alienating future season ticket holders.

Perhaps most worrisome about Radakovich's plans is his admission that he is looking into eliminating Swarm, which he says does not make that much money for the AA. If the AA expects the student body to take on the cost of a higher Student Activity Fee, they should not disband the most cohesive group of student supporters. Not only does Swarm build a sense of community and allow dedicated fans to support their team together, it also gets students in the habit of donating money to the AA, which should continue to be a source of revenue when they become young alumni.

The proposed fee increase may be frustrating, but the AA has used its best judgment in the matter. They have to have money to continue running a Division I-A athletic program, and as athletic fans, we cannot expect to attend sporting events free of charge; we should remember that we will still be paying less than non-students even though we will pay more next year.