Who else will foot the bill?

In response to the objections of a mandatory athletics fee, IU President Adam Herbert proposed several alternatives to the fee in an interview for the April 8 Indiana Daily Student. The $30 fee had been proposed to bail out the ailing athletics department which continues to suffer a "structural" deficit -- its expenses will outpace revenue by $2 million dollars this year alone. Herbert discussed four substitutions for the mandatory fee: increasing the price students pay for basketball tickets, sell student seats to the general public, opening Assembly Hall for advertising or bundling football and basketball tickets so purchasers must buy both. All of these solutions have both merits and sacrifices -- and while we understand not one of them is ideal, we feel allowing limited advertising in Assembly Hall is the best option at this time. Reducing the number of student seats would be a travesty. Not only because students deserve those seats, but because the act would only diminish the support the department is trying to garner in its time of need. "Bundling" basketball tickets and football tickets is also less than desirable, as it forces patrons to buy something they may not want. On the contrary, allowing limited advertising could help reduce the deficit without costing students any money. We know this proposal will deviate from IU's long-honored tradition of keeping Assembly Hall "clean." The idea behind this tradition, that no one or no thing is bigger than the team itself, is a noble principle -- but it has to give way to these trying times. Even Bob Knight, the vehement and vocal protector of this tradition, "sold out" to an extent when he was hired by Texas Tech -- he now wears advertising on his sweater. Is protecting this tradition worth $30 to every student? We think not. We are not suggesting putting advertisements on the court or renaming Assembly Hall. We are advocating the placement of non-obtrusive and benign advertisements, removed from the court area, which will generate the millions of dollars needed to keep the athletics department afloat. There is a time for tradition and there is a time for responsibility. Unless those opposed to advertising are willing to shoulder the financial implications of their beliefs, we will all have to pay a price for them. Dissent
Is nothing sacred? IU basketball is more than just another sport. It and all of its traditions transcend the pettiness of daily life and the commercialism so rampant in professional sports and pop culture. To save money equal to one (cheap) night out on the town, my colleagues are willing to throw it all away. Students should be upset about this fee, but even so, we must not cheapen the integrity of our great institution by placing business advertisements in Assembly Hall. Our athletes represent the IU student body, not the highest corporate bidder or its products. Advertisements will not fully compensate for the massive debt accrued by the athletics department unless placed prominently on the court -- and then, only maybe. If the ads are implemented, IU athletics will lose more in prestige than it can possibly gain monetarily, and the students will still be footing the bill. Our championship banners and insignia should stand alone. -- Jonathan Blanks