A divided student body voted down a resolution that would have increased student fees and brought back ETSU’s football program.
Had it been approved, students would have began paying an additional $50 per semester in athletic fees starting in fall 2007, and an additional $50 per semester starting in 2009.
Students on both sides of the debate were surprised by the outcome.
Sophomore Meghan Dillie, who voted against the resolution, was happy the referendum was voted down. “I didn’t think it was going to go that way,” she said. “I’m paying for my education on my own. I don’t need to be more in debt because kids want a football team.”
“Our first priority is to get out of school,” junior Drew Robbins said. “I personally believe athletics shouldn’t come first when the university doesn’t have money to fund academic programs.”
Other students simply didn’t want to pay for something they would never use. “I felt like if football was a big deal for me I would have gone to UT,” freshman Ashley Price said. “I’m glad it got voted down. I didn’t want to pay for something I would never come watch.”
Students who voted for football’s return were disappointed with the outcome.
“I thought it would have been a good way to get students more involved,” sophomore Janna Evans said. Evans also believed a “yes” vote would have attracted more students to the university. “I know a bunch of guys that would have come to ETSU if we had a football program.”
Others worry that ETSU will lose out to other universities by not having a competitive football program.
“I think it would help this campus to have football,” junior Jessica Burris said. “I think we lose a lot of our enrollment to UT.”
Senior Shawn Ruefer believes football is destined to come back to ETSU regardless of the outcome. “I don’t care what the students say. If the alumni want it back, it’s coming back,” he said.
Ruefer added that many students overlooked many of the positives associated with a football revival.
“It wasn’t just football, the fee would have meant bringing in new women’s sports under Title IX. Football would have provided a big boost to student moral and switching to a larger conference with big-name teams would bring both local and visiting fans” Ruefer said, adding that those fans would equate to more money for the university.
The two-day referendum attracted 3,229 students. Of those, 1,907 students opposed the proposed fee increase, while 1,322 voted in favor. The 27 percent turnout set a record for number of students voting over the two-day period.

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