ULM students approve fee hikes

MeanGreen61 · April 28, 2006

By Jordan Blum

jblum@thenewsstar.com

University of Louisiana at Monroe students approved $50 in fee increases per semester to pay for new athletics facility renovations, additional student support services and more funds for the Student Government Association and several campus spirit groups.

Turnout hovered just past 10 percent, with about 900 of 8,286 the students enrolled casting votes. The referendum involves about $l.4 million, depending on enrollment, annually in new funds.

"I am thrilled," outgoing SGA President Kyle Gallman said. "We've spent nearly a year — since October — working on this."

The referendum involves three new fees — a $20 Athletic Success fee, a $22 Student Success fee and a $2 31Ambassadors fee — in addition to an SGA fee increase from $5 to $8 and a Spirit Groups fee increase from $1.45 to $4.45.

All fees are on a per semester basis and include $25 for each of the two summer sessions. So if a student were enrolled for the fall, spring and both summer sessions that would generate $150 extra in fees.

"I was concerned," Gallman said, referring to the amount of money they were asking. "But I wasn't surprised. This week we've seen overwhelming support."

The athletics fee would pay for updating athletics equipment and improving maintenance, while helping pay for Title IX improvements. The student success fee is to help jump start the new Student Success Center with student counseling and tutoring.

Athletic Director Bobby Staub said it is a "great day" for athletics. The funds will

help ULM make the transition into the Sun Belt Conference, he said. Exact expenditures are currently being determined in strategic planning, he said.

The 31 Ambassadors student group, the War Bonnets and other spirit groups have existed primarily on their own fundraising efforts and they needed a boost, Gallman said.

SGA president-elect Rob Carroll said he is excited the students spoke up and supported the referendum by a "two-to-one margin."

Even though Gallman said he was disappointed by the 10 percent turnout, that is about average for ULM elections, he said.

Besides Carroll, new SGA officers are Rebel Fornea, vice president, and Michelle Miers, secretary.

Shelby Allen is the senior class president, Adam Trevillion is junior class president, Micah Pulliam heads the sophomore class and Brady Middleton is the new assistant to the president.

Originally published April 28, 2006

PlummMeanGreen · April 29, 2006

One prominent NT Ex told me that a few years ago when we had our own similar athletic referendum vote that we really never did even have to put that to a student vote considering the size of the projected facility, ie, a new football stadium. That was news for me.

Another prominent NT Ex said, "after all, you want those on campus who are temporarily there (as those who just transferred in and/or those who won't even graduate from UNT, etc, etc) making decisions that would affect our univerisity long-term and (especially) with the size and scope that such a major facility as a new football stadium would be: also, with what such a major facility would mean to the rest of the 100,000+ strong UNT community, Greater Denton and Denton County for decades to come?" Should 18-21 year olds be making such a decisionin the first place? Well, the closing paragraph offers another perspective...

So it was the NT Ex in the first part of this post who also added that UT and TAMU regents with similar scenarios just announce something to the affect of "this is what we are going to do" (as far as major athletic construction is concerned) and then (quite frankly) they put all the machinery in place to get it done.

Edited April 29, 2006 by PlummMeanGreen

LoveMG · April 29, 2006

Turnout hovered just past 10 percent, with about 900 of 8,286 the students enrolled casting votes.
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not a very large enrollment

PlummMeanGreen · May 1, 2006

not a very large enrollment
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LoveMG, I wonder what our own turnout was back when we had our student referendum vote a few years ago?

We know at least half the NT College of Music had to turn out for that one, right?!?? LOL!

Edited May 1, 2006 by PlummMeanGreen

FirefightnRick · May 1, 2006

LoveMG, I wonder what our own turnout was back when we had our student referendum vote a few years ago?
We know at least half the NT College of Music had to turn out for that one, right?!?? LOL!
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As best I can recall, there were around 2,200 to 2,400 votes casted and the referendum was voted down by a little over half? But I'm with you. It should have never been allowed due to the importance that facility means to the univerisity. The BOR should have just put it through as UT did a couple of years ago.

Rick

PlummMeanGreen · May 1, 2006

As best I can recall, there were around 2,200 to 2,400 votes casted and the referendum was voted down by a little over half? But I'm with you. It should have never been allowed due to the importance that facility means to the univerisity. The BOR should have just put it through as UT did a couple of years ago.
Rick
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FFR, for certain, back in the dark ages when I was an NTSU student (among 17,000 others in the early to mid 70's) our BOR had to ultimately approve increased fees with NT parking decals.

Of course, I think back then they must have printed up about 20K of those for 17K students with actual parking for about 6,000!

Last time I was in Denton, I am most positive I saw an NTSU student from my era still making those non-stop repetitive drives around key parking areas still trying to find that perfect up-close parking spot!

Edited May 1, 2006 by PlummMeanGreen

NTEagle08 · May 1, 2006

So it was the NT Ex in the first part of this post who also added that UT and TAMU regents with similar scenarios just announce something to the affect of "this is what we are going to do" (as far as major athletic construction is concerned) and then (quite frankly) they put all the machinery in place to get it done.
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UT and A&M also have supportive alumni that will pitch in a considerable amount of money to see things get going. Although I know how important a new football stadium is to the athletic program, it seems a little to much to ask of students to foot most(if not all) of the bill. If it was a joint effort with donors and students, then there wouldn't be a problem, but we haven't been able to get those big donors yet.

FirefightnRick · May 2, 2006

UT and A&M also have supportive alumni that will pitch in a considerable amount of money to see things get going. Although I know how important a new football stadium is to the athletic program, it seems a little to much to ask of students to foot most(if not all) of the bill. If it was a joint effort with donors and students, then there wouldn't be a problem, but we haven't been able to get those big donors yet.
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I don't think anyone expected the students to pay for ALL of it. But it was/is extremely important to get the project started and underway, and that is what the referendum would have done. NT alumni and fans have been through so much for so long over the years that we have been trained to "Doubt" many things when it comes to athletics. Most have grown to have a Wait-n-see attitude. I don't know why? Maybe because of the different individuals put in place that has called the shots over the years. We have been pulled in so many different directions that there has been very little, if any at all? And even more have had little confidence in the leadership and it's committment towards athletics. One alumn who I have known since grade school put it in simple terms while watching yet another poorly planned/promoted spring game a few years ago when he said, "I'd be afraid to give these people a thousand dollar check for fear they would end up washing it in the laundrey". Since that time, few will argue that "Direction" is exactly what Dr. Pohl and RV started when they came here. Once that direction was met with some success we all started to realize how great the return was because of it and alumni started to want to get involved with the university again. It's my belief that once the stadium project gets underway and the ball starts to roll on it(proving to the doubters that it's for real) that many people will open their wallets and start to help fund drive. Just look at the microcosm here at GMG.com. Nearly every time there has ever been a need from the AD dept or the univeristy that we as alumni could accomplish, then we have taken care of it. I think the stadium will be similar, of course on a much more grand of a scale. I think once alumni and our corporate friends know for sure it's going to happen, and that the product we plan on building is a good one, then people won't want to miss out on their chance to be a part of it.

In saying that, I can't help but remember what one NT alumnus friend of mine, and a great friend to the Mean Green over the years once told me towards the end of the Helwig regime. He said, "Rick, we have a lot of people who are willing to donate, right now. We have some big money folks who are interested. I'm confident I could help raise X amount of dollars, right now, this year. But I'm not going to risk my reputation with my business and with others I do business with for a group who can't tell me what they would do with my money, and everyone else I know feels the same way. People are not going to invest in a black hole. People are not going to invest until they are sure there is a committment from the university. It's just not going to happen until then".

Rick

PlummMeanGreen · May 2, 2006

I don't think anyone expected the students to pay for ALL of it. But it was/is extremely important to get the project started and underway, and that is what the referendum would have done. NT alumni and fans have been through so much for so long over the years that we have been trained to "Doubt" many things when it comes to athletics. Most have grown to have a Wait-n-see attitude. I don't know why? Maybe because of the different individuals put in place that has called the shots over the years. We have been pulled in so many different directions that there has been very little, if any at all? And even more have had little confidence in the leadership and it's committment towards athletics. One alumn who I have known since grade school put it in simple terms while watching yet another poorly planned/promoted spring game a few years ago when he said, "I'd be afraid to give these people a thousand dollar check for fear they would end up washing it in the laundrey". Since that time, few will argue that "Direction" is exactly what Dr. Pohl and RV started when they came here. Once that direction was met with some success we all started to realize how great the return was because of it and alumni started to want to get involved with the university again. It's my belief that once the stadium project gets underway and the ball starts to roll on it(proving to the doubters that it's for real) that many people will open their wallets and start to help fund drive. Just look at the microcosm here at GMG.com. Nearly every time there has ever been a need from the AD dept or the univeristy that we as alumni could accomplish, then we have taken care of it. I think the stadium will be similar, of course on a much more grand of a scale. I think once alumni and our corporate friends know for sure it's going to happen, and that the product we plan on building is a good one, then people won't want to miss out on their chance to be a part of it.
In saying that, I can't help but remember what one NT alumnus friend of mine, and a great friend to the Mean Green over the years once told me towards the end of the Helwig regime. He said, "Rick, we have a lot of people who are willing to donate, right now. We have some big money folks who are interested. I'm confident I could help raise X amount of dollars, right now, this year. But I'm not going to risk my reputation with my business and with others I do business with for a group who can't tell me what they would do with my money, and everyone else I know feels the same way. People are not going to invest in a black hole. People are not going to invest until they are sure there is a committment from the university. It's just not going to happen until then".
Rick
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Amen...

I know an older alum who not so long ago said there were anywhere from 11-13 NT Exes ready to give $1,000,000.00 each toward a new stadium, but then our direction seemed to vascillate (again).

UNT will get a new football stadium in time, it's just the Big Donor-types have to see a solid, upwardly bound (D1-A) direction and plan of action that won't change when present employees move on and we have new hirings (and new athletic philosophies) in Denton. I don't think many of us would blame them for that attitude, either.

Dr. Pohl's resignation just seemed to set our momemtum back and I think many even on this most diverse forum of opinion would agree with that. Our new president will either make us or break us, but I just don't see any UNT BOR's with a Bobby Ray or a C. Dan Smith as members who would have any part of hiring a president who is going to take us back to the dark ages (athletically) once again. Granted, I've expressed more than my share of pointed opinions concerning Mr. Ray's handling of certain matters at UNT, but in my heart of hearts I do believe the man knows the importance of an upward bound major college sports program at our (and his) alma mater.