By ABIGAIL SHEARER
Tiger Media Network
Today and Thursday, the students of Fort Hays State University can vote on a proposed increase in student fees to benefit the Athletics Department at the university.
At Thursday’s SGA meeting, student senators passed a bill to boost the Athletic fee by $1.66 per credit hour. A motion to only increase it by $1.36 failed before the bill was passed in its original form.
Any fee higher than 99 cents needs approval by a majority vote of the student body, according to SGA bylaws.
“An increase in student fees helps close the inflation-driven deficit gap, especially given that an increase has not been requested in over a decade,” said Lisa Goddard McGuirk, FHSU’s athletic director. “Once operational needs are met, we can dedicate some of our auxiliary revenue to further engage the student population.”
Last year, Athletics received a $2 increase per credit hour after a student vote. That moved the student fee for Athletics to $11.97 per credit hour.
Tiger Debs were funded separately from Athletics at 24 cents per credit hour. That amount, after a vote by SGA senators Thursday, was moved into the Athletics fee as the Tiger Debs are considered part of Athletics. That means the combined fee now sits at $12.21 for Athletics.
The $1.66 increase, if approved, would push the fee for students to $13.87 per credit hour — generating approximately $1.4 million from student fees next year.
The proposed increase would amount to more than 70 percent of the total student-fee increase for the next school year. That had some senators concerned at Thursday’s meeting.
Student fees, if approved by all parties, are expected to increase by $2.33 per credit hour next year — according to SGA numbers.
“Last year, Athletics requested a $4 increase in student fees to address inflation-related challenges,” Goddard McGuirk said. “We were extremely grateful to have received a $2 increase. However, even with the generous amount awarded, it still resulted in a deficit. This year, LPAC requested that the Tiger Debs fund request be combined with the Athletic request to streamline the process. The initial request from Athletics was $3, and Tiger Debs had requested 50 cents to restore previously awarded funding.”
If the vote doesn’t pass the student body, Athletics will be funded at $12.21 per credit hour — the same as last year, with the addition of the Tiger Debs’ fee.
“If approved, our plan is to begin work on dedicated, branded student sections, alongside an elevated student loyalty program,” Goddard McGuirk said. “We received valuable feedback from SGA senators at the beginning of the year regarding ideas to collaborate and generate greater on-campus school spirit. As a department, we are also looking to partner with other student organizations on leadership development programming so that officers and organizations can collaborate and learn ways to elevate their leadership and service to FHSU students. Lastly, we are currently exploring ways to engage with incoming students to share insights into the game-day experience, in-game traditions and ways to get involved.”
Each 1-cent increase in fees generates approximately $1,000, depending on student enrollment. If passed, it would give approximately an additional $166,000 to Athletics next year.
For each student taking 30 credit hours next school year, they would pay $416.10 to support the Athletic fee — if the student vote is successful. If the vote fails, that same student would pay $366.30 next year for the Athletic portion of student fees.
All Student Government Association voting, including the proposed Athletics fee increase, began this morning and closes at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. A link will be sent via email with voting information.