As a student during the time of the first vote, there were a couple of reasons it failed- one of which I would blame RV. When asked to explain exactly how the fee increase would be used to renovate Fouts or build a stadium, he wasn’t able to show a clear vision for it. Those who were skeptical (myself included) would have been more supportive had there been a clear plan.
What wasn’t his fault was that the AD was pushing hard for it with students, which created a backlash and riled up the “no” vote. One of the tipping points, as I recall it now in my old age, was an alumni funded publicity campaign in favor of the vote. I think there were table tents or other materials pushing for a yes. I definitely recall people saying that if the alumni wanted it so badly they should pay for it. (And they were correct, but we still don’t.) The hard push on both fronts ran counter to UNT’s rebellious culture. We ended up funding the 2002 increase in the student government at a reduced rate in order to be able to acquire the property across the highway that now houses all our athletics programs. (Most student senators who voted for it got kicked out by angry students, btw)
That is likely why the next vote was done as a student initiative, but I would suspect it was coordinated with RV, but I guess we would need @UNTflyer to confirm.