Students vote no to $30 fee

The students have spoken.\nDuring Friday's closed-door meeting between student-group representatives, a consensus was reached.\n"Under the terms given to us now, the athletic fee is not in our best interest," IU Student Association President Tyson Chastain said. "The general consensus from the student's view point is an athletic fee is not explained well enough for the student population to understand why it's just the students." During the course of the discussion in the 6 p.m. private meeting between the groups, Chastain said the overwhelming majority is wondering why the students are the ones responsible for coming up with the money. \n"The students understand the short term, they do understand the $2 million deficit and the problems that can be associated with that, and they do support IU athletics," Chastain said. "But the one question they have is, why us? Why just us? And why is it just the students that are considered in this? We are part of this community, why can't we work together? Why can't we work with the alumni and the administration to take care of this?"\nResidence Housing Association President John Palmer said the group he represents is still against the $30 addition, but RHA still knows there is work to be done on the situation.\n"Our stance at this point is that we're in opposition of the fee," Palmer said. "However, yes, we do understand that there's a need to do something about this problem. We feel that we're in a place where we can come up with a short-term solution to be resolved for next Friday, but at the same time, we really need to start looking at some long-term options. \n"A $2 million deficit doesn't happen over night, it's a long-term thing. Therefore solving that problem is also going to be a long term issue."\nThe two meetings Friday gave the student groups the chance to discuss the proposed $30 athletic fee to be voted on at the IU trustees' meeting in Bloomington May 6 and 7. \nThe public forum was not as successful as IUSA would have liked it to be since only two members of the public attended, but under the circumstances -- Friday night before finals week -- Chastain said the group was understanding. \nMost of what was needed to be worked out was done so in the earlier meeting. \nIUSA received an e-mail Wednesday morning from Athletic Director Terry Clapacs stating its proposed alternative to the student athletic fee would be insufficient. The Committee to Review the Alternatives for the Athletic Fee proposed to increase ticket prices across the board for men's basketball, meaning the student's, faculty's and the public's tickets would increase in price.\nClapacs told the groups in the e-mail any proposal containing money from faculty and the public would not be accepted and that the money must come from the students one way or another.\nOne main issue seeming to revolve with the student groups is working together with the administration and athletics department on the athletic fee issue. \nPalmer reiterated the need for all parties involved to work together.\n"We all need to be working together towards a common goal," he said. "The athletics department needs to be working with the students and working with the faculty and the staff and the rest of the University." \nChastain the students are looking to help the situation, but not in the form of an additional $30. \n"They're ready to help out the athletics department, but the athletics fee is not the answer," he said.\nA letter was drafted through the meetings Friday and is ready to be delivered to the trustees this weekend. \nFriday's meeting gave the groups involved a way to voice their opinions on behalf of the students they represent.\n"A lot of people provided their input saying why is this? Why is that? Do we have answers for this? Or do we have more questions for this?" Chastain said. "So the general consensus is, why students? If we can't have these questions, how can we justify to say that students support this if they don't have the answers."\n-- Contact sports editor Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.