Student fee increase to help athletics?

https://gmufourthestate.com/2025/04/09/budget-proposal-calls-for-tuition-and-student-fee-increase/ -
“The partnership between University Life and athletics was highlighted as another need for investment. “One of the ways we want to invest is in athletics,” Pascarell said. “The partnership that university life has with athletics really provides us with an opportunity to increase engagement.”

“We [Mason Athletics] have been underfunded for a number of years, and the resources have not kept pace with the expenses to maintain a competitive program,” Athletic Director Marvin Lewis said. “My goal is to provide a holistic student athlete experience and one that the university can be proud of. To do that, we have to increase the investment in athletics.”
 

psyclone

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https://gmufourthestate.com/2025/04/09/budget-proposal-calls-for-tuition-and-student-fee-increase/ -
“The partnership between University Life and athletics was highlighted as another need for investment. “One of the ways we want to invest is in athletics,” Pascarell said. “The partnership that university life has with athletics really provides us with an opportunity to increase engagement.”

“We [Mason Athletics] have been underfunded for a number of years, and the resources have not kept pace with the expenses to maintain a competitive program,” Athletic Director Marvin Lewis said. “My goal is to provide a holistic student athlete experience and one that the university can be proud of. To do that, we have to increase the investment in athletics.”

For comparison sake, here's a table on vcu's student fees over the last 5 years and how much of it goes to athletics. In fairness, my understanding is that vcu has historically been at the high end. Not sure that the Mason board will be that generous. With the court ruling coming on the university actually paying athletes , will the board fully buy-in to that model?
 

psyclone

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For comparison sake, here's a table on vcu's student fees over the last 5 years and how much of it goes to athletics. In fairness, my understanding is that vcu has historically been at the high end. Not sure that the Mason board will be that generous. With the court ruling coming on the university actually paying athletes , will the board fully buy-in to that model?
And here's some parallel numbers from a year ago for Virginia colleges:
 

jruby

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vcu and JMU were 1 and 2 % wise in the country at different points on using Student fees to fund sports. The Sunbelt told JMU They could only use 60% towards sports instead of 85% of whatever madness they were using. NOVA Mom and Dad's paying to fund JMU and vcu athletics has been a thing for a while.

Also ODU is up there too. A recent report by Sportico, a news site devoted to covering “the business of sports,” said that JMU used more money in student fees to support intercollegiate athletics than any other school in the country. In second place was Old Dominion University. https://cardinalnews.org/2024/03/27/students-are-forced-to-subsidize-college-sports-why/#:~:text=A recent report by Sportico,place was Old Dominion University.

vcu did this back in 2011. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story/_/id/6584924
 

gmujim92

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For comparison sake, here's a table on vcu's student fees over the last 5 years and how much of it goes to athletics. In fairness, my understanding is that vcu has historically been at the high end. Not sure that the Mason board will be that generous. With the court ruling coming on the university actually paying athletes , will the board fully buy-in to that model?
vcu collects $1300 in fees per student that directly funds their athletic department.

If they have even 30,000 full-time students, that’s $39 million a year.

I would love to know what Mason’s figure is … willing to bet it’s about half that or less.
 

Pikapppatri8

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Bottom line - Yes - we should look at student fees and increasing allocation to support athletics. Mason is now a desired school with an excellent academic profile and location in one of the wealthiest places in the nation.

This dynamic ties to the other thread started by GMUBrian on coaching contracts. if you want commitment from coaches it will take pay and financial support to athletics in general.

Like Brian - I am very heartened by how adept the AD was at getting contracts extended, etc. Something very rare for us. We now need to push finances in there and the Alumni need to do their part in the NIL.
 

GMUgemini

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vcu collects $1300 in fees per student that directly funds their athletic department.

If they have even 30,000 full-time students, that’s $39 million a year.

I would love to know what Mason’s figure is … willing to bet it’s about half that or less.

Don’t have the current figures, but it was around $23 million a few years ago.
 

TweederGMU

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We should of jacked our student fees up 50% per student after the Final Four run to heavily invest in bball but once again we are behind the 8-ball for numerous years against VA colleges.

Student fees that are designated for athletics are the easiest way to pull in funds. This should of been done years ago to stay competitive. All for jacking up the rates.... we should be charging each student at least $1K here.

In-state tuition is $14,220 a year for full-time students which is a freaking bargain. Like PiKap said.... Mason has evolved into one of the best universities in VA and is in one of the wealthiest areas in all of the US, Mason should be selling itself on the value prop and ROI a student receives in getting a degree here.

If we have 28000 undergrads, at $1k a student then that's $28 Million towards athletics.

We need to jack up the fees substantially in order to stay relevant in sports.
 

gmujim92

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We should of jacked our student fees up 50% per student after the Final Four run to heavily invest in bball but once again we are behind the 8-ball for numerous years against VA colleges.

Student fees that are designated for athletics are the easiest way to pull in funds. This should of been done years ago to stay competitive. All for jacking up the rates.... we should be charging each student at least $1K here.

In-state tuition is $14,220 a year for full-time students which is a freaking bargain. Like PiKap said.... Mason has evolved into one of the best universities in VA and is in one of the wealthiest areas in all of the US, Mason should be selling itself on the value prop and ROI a student receives in getting a degree here.

If we have 28000 undergrads, at $1k a student then that's $28 Million towards athletics.

We need to jack up the fees substantially in order to stay relevant in sports.
Agreed but be ready for blowback … with what college already costs these days, raising fees to pay athletes is not without its vocal critics.
 

phoenix-arizona

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How essential are athletics to a college and university? Does having a bad AP affect the quality or prestige of a college or its degree?
 

mkaufman1

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Agreed but be ready for blowback … with what college already costs these days, raising fees to pay athletes is not without its vocal critics.
Just hope there isn't so much blowback that it becomes "Ok Ok Ok We aren't doing it!"
 

GMUgemini

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Bottom line - Yes - we should look at student fees and increasing allocation to support athletics. Mason is now a desired school with an excellent academic profile and location in one of the wealthiest places in the nation.

This dynamic ties to the other thread started by GMUBrian on coaching contracts. if you want commitment from coaches it will take pay and financial support to athletics in general.

Like Brian - I am very heartened by how adept the AD was at getting contracts extended, etc. Something very rare for us. We now need to push finances in there and the Alumni need to do their part in the NIL.

If I was a current student I’d be a lot more pissed about my student fees being raised to pay the salaries of players in this environment. You might get a lot of backlash to that.
 

Pikapppatri8

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If I was a current student I’d be a lot more pissed about my student fees being raised to pay the salaries of players in this environment. You might get a lot of backlash to that.
Most students don't know what their fees are, if they do know they have no clue what they are spent on and finally most are relying on mom and dad and/or student loans and therefore don't care until they have to pay things back.
 

GMUgemini

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Most students don't know what their fees are, if they do know they have no clue what they are spent on and finally most are relying on mom and dad and/or student loans and therefore don't care until they have to pay things back.

From my experience teaching 250 students a year they’re already pissed. If their fees got raised even higher they’d be even more pissed.
 

GMUgemini

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Disagree -- alumni fundraising highly tied t this - outside of your Harvards and MITs.

I can name tons of schools outside the Ivy that don’t have big time athletics but are very highly regarded institutions, but you know have been around for a really long time for the most part like Amherst College (not to be confused by UMass-Amherst). Williams College is another one.

A school like UC Davis (became independent of Berkeley in the 1950s) is an exception (and Davis is D1, but I wouldn’t exactly call them big-time).
 

jessej

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IMO
raising student fees for athletics MUST also come with a solid marketing plan to increase student involvement with EVERY sport offered at GMU.

There is so much more that could be done that isn't being done today.
 
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