Speaking Out Against the Athletic Fee of 2002
North Texas Daily, 2/02

I warned the student body last year that the Rec Center fee would be the first of many added costs to come. Many simply laughed it off and assured me it would be a rare occurrence for the student body to vote yes to raising fees.

The students who voted “yes” to the Rec Center fee sent a message to administrators and faculty across campus that we the students are wealthy (or financially irresponsible) and willing to accept anything that comes inside the Trojan Horse of school pride.

Only a year has passed, and my prediction came true with the proposed athletics fee, on the ballot this week. What convenient timing in which to approach the student body! Our best season in years, and the athletics department decides to take advantage of us while we’re in a post-victory state of euphoria.

Proponents of the new athletics fee say that building a new stadium will increase school spirit, bring-in alumni donations and attract more people to our games. With that kind of logic, I could assume buying a new car would make me a better driver, or saying “vagina” stops violence against women.

Who’s to say that the new Fouts Field, when built, will be filled to capacity? Are the spectators coming to our games to cheer on our campus architect? No, they come to watch football players. As it stands now, we cannot pack the current stadium. And if we could, maybe we wouldn’t have to rely on milking the students for more funds.

Once the Mean Green gets in the habit of winning, the revenue will come in from different sources including community ticket sales. If necessity is the mother of invention, then I would recommend that we wait until a new field becomes a necessity.

Nobody will argue that Fouts isn’t in need of some repair. I agree it would be a great idea to eventually expand or completely re-build it. My argument is simply one of finance. School spirit, Title IX compliance, attracting better athletes, et cetera, are “red herring” issues intended to distract us, and I will not address them.

This week, vote “no” and let’s start raising and saving money for the new Fouts. That’s what financially-responsible people do, right? Financially responsible Congressmen, for example, do not advocate increasing the national debt or taxing the poor (i.e., the average working student) to pay for frivolous projects. When we have the revenue to re-build Fouts Field, and the crowds to finance its continued operation, we can then proceed with perhaps a better plan than before.

If we vote yes on this fee, we’re setting ourselves up for an embarrassment, like EuroDisney or the sparsely-inhabited Denver International Airport. Who will fill our stands?

Am I the only one who noticed the eagle on the current Fouts Field is missing? If they can’t at least put our eagle back up during this “new era” of UNT athletics, then why should I give away my hard-earned money? Perhaps our greedy athletics department is making room for corporate sponsorship (if that’s the case, then may I suggest adopting the jolly Green Giant as our new mascot—that would bring in some revenue).

Put our eagle back up on Fouts Field and then we’ll talk. But for now, I’m voting “no,” along with hundreds of other hard-working students with limited funds.

For more information about Fouts Field and UNT in general, please visit unt.edu.