The Lumberjack

Issue date: 4/11/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: John T Carter

There are different reasons why students come to Humboldt State. Some come for the academics, others for the opportunity to represent their university on the field.

For several hundred students, the athletic program brought them to Humboldt State.

Over a month ago, there was a proposal that two of the campus sports teams be cut. Then, in an e-mail on March 5, President Rollin Richmond proposed an Instructionally Related Activities (IRA) fee hike of $202. The increased fee will make the athletic department student-driven.

Duane Manyweather, an offensive lineman and history junior, said the situation is touchy.

"As a student I can see the concern, but as a student athlete I say $200 is nothing compared to the money that athletics brings into the school," he said.

The proposed increase would give Humboldt State the highest student IRA fee in the 23-school California State University system. Sonoma State currently has the highest IRA fee, at $185 per student each semester. Humboldt State currently ranks eighth, at $48 per semester. None of the other 21 CSU schools have an IRA fee higher than $99.

Men's soccer midfielder and geography junior Eric Webster said the athletic department still gets the same amount of money, but from a different source.

"If that's the solution the school's administration came up with, then that's the choice I need to live with," Webster said.

Many on campus voiced their disagreement over the increase, saying they didn't feel they should have to pay more to fund sports.

For the athletes, however, the increase will allow them to continue their education and compete for Humboldt State.

"If athletics is cut, Humboldt State will have even more problems because more students will leave," Manyweather said.

The fee increase doesn't mean teams will have bigger budgets. Each team will still have to fundraise as they have done in the past. With one of the major annual fundraisers going directly to scholarships, teams have to get creative with how they raise funds for expenses, including traveling costs and equipment.

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