Council discusses athletics fee options

Basing the number of season basketball tickets available to students on season football ticket purchases is one alternative to the $30 Student Athletics Fee, Interim Chancellor Ken Gros Louis said to the Bloomington Faculty Council Tuesday.\nGros Louis said a certain number of IU student basketball tickets would be sold to the general public to increase revenue unless students buy an increased proportion of student football tickets. Gros Louis said he hoped this proposition would increase the number of football tickets purchased by students, as only 5,000 were sold last year. \n"The athletics department needs the $1.1 million on the table," Gros Louis said. "It cannot rely on things such as students buying more football tickets in coming years."\nOther ideas presented included cutting men's sports, increasing advertising and the athletics department receiving loans from the IU Foundation. The meeting also featured a presentation by IU Foundation Director Curt Simic and a proposed change to the language proficiency policy for international associate instructors. \nThe committee discussed cutting sports programs the second alternative to the fee. School of Public and Environmental Affairs professor Ted Miller questioned if it was a good idea to rule this alternative out all together. \n"We have all faced unwanted cuts due to budgets in our departments," he said, noting the possibility to do so in athletics. \nGros Louis said sports cuts would not be considered unless there was significant support for the action from the Bloomington Faculty Council. \nGros Louis said he spoke with IU President Adam Herbert and both agreed cutting sports shouldn't be an immediate option. Gros Louis added he was not sure if this would help solve the budget crisis because it would not necessarily give the department the money needed to pay back debts. \n"We shouldn't look to solve the problem by reducing sports," he said. "... Neither (me nor Herbert) wanted that to be an option."\nThe other options discussed to solve the budget crisis, such as a loan from the IU Foundation and increasing the amount of advertising sold, were met with sharp criticism. Gros Louis said no more advertising can be sold because the athletics department has two years left on its advertising contract. Gros Louis said this contract could not be renegotiated until the two years have passed, so it is not an option. Simic said loaning the IU Foundation money is not an option.\n"Whenever we give out loans, we have to look at collateral they can offer," Simic responded jokingly, which got a laugh from the Council. \nSimic said the IU Foundation could not give out loans without interest because they depend on money made by investments and interest from loans.\nThe council also discussed a proposal for university-wide acceptance of a new policy involving international AIs. Associate Dean of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs David Nordloh said international AIs must take language proficiency tests in order to get their positions at IU. If they fail the exams, they can take other classes, and then continue to try and take the exams until they pass. The new proposal would allow the AIs to take a graduate level course and then be certified for their position. Nordloh said the feedback received from students who had the AI after the class was positive for the most part.\nThis was the BFC's last meeting of the school year.\n-- Contact staff writer Michael Wilson at mhwilson@indiana.edu.