The UCSD Graduate Student Association balked at its lack of involvement in crafting the athletics fee referendum, resulting in increased cost for undergraduates should the referendum pass.
Graduate students chose to be excluded from the referendum, so if it passes, only undergraduates will pay fees to finance the National Collegiate Athletics Association program.
The new version, amended to exclude graduate students from the vote, passed the A.S. Council last week.
The amount requested via the referendum had to be changed as a result of the withdrawal of 3,500 people. To maintain the current Inter-Collegiate Athletics budget of $1.4 million, the total amount of the referendum has been increased to $28.25. It was $26.50 previously. The referendum will provide some $1.4 million per year for ICA.
Of the $28.25, $26.70 will go to ICA. Twenty cents will go to spirit organizations such as the pep band and the cheerleaders — a change made to the referendum by the Internal committee and approved by the A.S. Council. The remaining money will go to sports clubs and recreation clubs.
Voting on the referendum will occur during the A.S. Council general elections, second week of spring quarter. Undergraduates can vote via StudentLink.
GSA President Catherine Salsman said she objected to the referendum because no graduate student was included on the task force that developed it.
She said that the GSA representative was included later, as an afterthought, and did not have a vote.
Salsman also said that “”an all-campus election doesn’t allow graduate students a voice”” because there are only 3,500 compared to 18,000 undergraduates.
The GSA suggested that two separate elections be held, but A.S. Commissioner of Athletics Robin Shelton decided to go ahead with the referendum without the graduate students because of the timeliness of the issue.
Salsman stressed that graduate students still want to be involved in intercollegiate athletics.
“”I’m not saying that graduate students aren’t interested in sports,”” she said. “”We are still talking to [the A.S. Council] about how this will affect graduate-student involvement in athletics in the future.””
The athletics budget faces massive cuts because it has been operating on temporary funding since the move to Division II two years ago.
Student representatives designed the referendum to maintain the current level of funding.
“”It’s a 1.9 percent increase [in total student fees] to maintain the quality of the athletics programs and to allow the campus spirit and social environment to continue to grow,”” Shelton said.
For the referendum vote to be valid, at least 20 percent of undergraduates — about 3,500 students — must vote. The referendum requires a simple majority to pass.
