While 73% of University of Hawaii student respondents agree athletics enhances the school’s image and 49% agree they add value to the Manoa experience, 65% say they oppose an increase in student fees to help pay for sports.
The survey, conducted by the Manoa Institutional Research Office in April, is scheduled to be reviewed by the Board of Regents Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics at its Thursday meeting.
The committee has been discussing whether an adjustment to the current $50 per semester fee per student should be considered.
Athletic director David Matlin has yet to make a proposal for an increase but has previously listed an increase in student fees as one of the key pillars for the department to balance its nearly $40 million budget by 2020.
State support was another area cited and UH recently won approval by the Legislature for a recurring $3.6 million annual appropriation.
The purpose of the 2019 Student Athletic Fee Survey, Matlin said in a note to students, was to solicit feedback on the athletic fee and any future changes. The MIRO report said 2,236 students responded.
The mandatory fee, which produces approximately $1.5 million a year for the athletic department, was first imposed in 2011 and has not changed. The amount accounts for 3.8% of the total athletic budget, UH said.
According to athletic department studies, UH’s student-athletic fee is the lowest in the 11-member Mountain West Conference, where the school competes in football. In the Big West Conference, where 15 of UH’s NCAA-sponsored teams compete, the school ranks last among the nine institutions in support derived from student fees.
For the fee, UH says benefits include setting aside 10 percent of seats at ticketed sports for students as well as providing football tailgates and giveaways.
According to the MIRO survey, one third of respondents say they did not attend any UH athletic events on average in a year, while one third attended one to three events and one third attended three or more.
Among students who said they opposed an increase in the student fee, the top reasons given were: Can’t afford the increase; don’t attend UH sports events; prefer funds go to other areas to support the campus experience; money should come from other sources rather than students; the current fee is reasonable.
The question regarding student fees read, “Do you support an athletic fee that enables us to continue to provide student benefits as well as enables our student-athletes to perform in the classroom and on the field of play …” to which 60 percent of respondents opposed and 40 percent were in favor.
“However,” the MIRO report noted, “some students indicated they were confused by the question as it did not clearly indicate ‘fee increase’ in the question…”
Based upon recording 141 responses of students who either did not support a fee increase, felt confused or were in need of more information, the report read the total was changed to 65 percent opposed and 35 percent in favor.
Survey Says …
Results of survey of UH students on athletic fee
>> 65% oppose increase in student athletic fee
>> 73% agree athletics enhances the university’s image
>> 49% agree athletics adds value ot their Manoa experience
>> 33% did not attend a UH athletic event
>> 33% attended one to three UH athletic events
>> 33% attended three or more UH athletic events
Source: UH
