Tennessee’s budget crisis is going to affect athletic funding at ETSU. How deeply the effect is felt will depend on how the university gets the money necessary to maintain its sports programs.
In January, Gov. Phil Bredesen mandated cutbacks at all higher education institutions.
At a meeting called by President Paul Stanton last month, it was clear that every dollar spent by the university will be scrutinized from now on. Athletic money is no exception.
“Our situation (at ETSU) is no different than other universities,” Stanton said.
During the Budget Reduction and Oversight Committee meeting last week, an idea was mentioned that involved charging students an athletics fee each semester.
Stanton, who is on the committee, said the idea of charging a fee to fund sports was only briefly discussed. He said the fee was only one money-saving idea among many and that the board would not decide on any specific action for three or four months.
A figure was given at the meeting suggested the cost to each ETSU student would be roughly $105.
Universities like Middle Tennessee State and the University of Memphis already tack an athletics fee onto student tuition each semester.
MTSU began charging a $40 athletic fee two years ago when they became a Division 1-A school.
Kathy Thurman, MTSU budget director, said the fee increases the amount of scholarships offered and allows all teams to travel to Sun Belt conference events.
In the past, state funding shortages have been dealt with by an increase in tuition and maintenance fees, but this time a more permanent solution is being sought.
Securing money by charging a fee could help ETSU deal with its largest sports expenditure — football. To support the football team $1.3 million is spent each year, but the program brings in $300,000-$400,000. ETSU picks up the balance.
The dilemma isn’t isolated to ETSU’s football program.
Of the 480 football teams in Division A, only 30 of them are money-makers (University of Tennessee being one) while most other football teams are in the red at the end of each season.

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