A presentation by the 49er Athletics promoting the Beach Legacy Referendum stirred mixed feelings among the Associated Students Inc. senators on Wednesday.
Although ASI has taken no official stance on the BLR, student senators listened while Wayne J. Stickney, 49er Athletic Club Development Coordinator reminded ASI that they too would benefit from the referendum passing.
Currently $21 of the $44 ASI student-paid fee goes to the Beach Pride Fund, which funds athletics, cheer and dance teams. If passed, ASI will keep 58 percent of the $21 that is normally passed along to the Beach Pride Fund, making the amount they give the athletics through the Beach Pride Fund less than $10.
The ASI Board of Control will decide how the funds will be distributed, with capital investments and renovation of facilities as options, according to ASI Vice President Christopher Chavez.
“If we do get money back, pursuant to ASI’s mission,” Chavez said, “ASI will try to get as much as possible back to the students.”
A former Cal State Long Beach ASI Sen. Brian Lojeck addressed the senate advising them to consider the state of the economy and students who may be working several jobs to pay school fees. He said every extra dollar charged to students counts.
Sen. Piero Sandoval expressed support for the referendum, adding that he has heard of other university athletic teams who refuse to play at CSULB because of the condition of the facilities.
$1.6 Million to Student Groups:
Spiking student fees from $1.6 million to an annual athletic budget of @$6 million isn’t going to FREE up crap for student organizations and instructional activities. If that were the case, why not just make the referendum for academics, more instructional time (professors are already being cut classes), book grants and scholarships, etc. Take an ECON class or at least a remedial math course dumb ass. This is merely shuffling money from one pool to create another line item. The only thing this referendum is going to free up is ‘free up’ students from their money. $95 is a textbook per semester a lot of somebody’s will have to scrounge harder to buy. Take the silver spoon out of your mouth and have mommy and daddy chip in the $1.6 million if you’re feeling that generous with other people’s money.
“ASI will try to get as much as possible back to the students.” Not going to hold my breath on that one. ASI is steering this garbage. Who is paying for the promotional campaign? The ASI only has money that students pay, but they’re spending our own money to sell us a one-way ticket to the poor house.
The BEACH LEAGACY REFERENDUM will free up $1.6 million for student organizations and instructional activities … educate the students about this fact when soliciting opinions — how is an uninformed opinion newsworthy if students do not have all the facts?
now is not the time to raise fees! let the sports teams get the money from boosters and sponsors, not from students.