The committee that bargains for student tickets for University football and basketball games will have the same budget next year as it did this year. The Student Senate approved a zero-percent increase for the Athletic Department Finance Committee Wednesday night, despite one senator’s protests that the group received an increase last year with an agreement to lower funding this time.
Sen. Kyle McKenzie, chairman of the ADFC, used a chalkboard to illustrate his budget proposal. He drew columns to show that the number of home games the football team is scheduled to play changes from year to year. If the committee’s budget accounted for the changes each year, a substantial increase would be necessary every other year, he said.
He also explained how the donation fees the committee has to pay to the athletic department are a sort of gratuity fee in exchange for good seats for which alumni would otherwise pay big money.
“It’s to support the player’s Xbox 360s in their locker rooms,” he said.
Sen. Nate Gulley said the Senate last year agreed to increase the committee’s budget because of an extra game, and they did so with the understanding that the budget would “drop back down” this year.
“I think it’s ironic that the people who spoke about fiscal responsibility last year don’t seem to see the inconsistency in this move,” Gulley said. Other senators disagreed, saying a zero-percent increase was fiscally responsible. Sen. Athan Papailiou said the committee had only agreed last year to not ask for a major increase. Gulley persisted, saying he believed there was “a consensus around the table” that the group would take a decrease.
“I don’t think it’s unclear what you’re saying, Nate,” Sen. Neil Brown said. “I think it’s untrue.”
The ADFC had an increase of 3 percent last year to account for an additional home football game. The Senate originally approved the maximum increase of 7 percent, but during negotiations, the ADFC chose to purchase fewer student tickets to games that had poor attendance.
Before the Senate approved the increase with only Gulley and Sen. Kevin Parks voting against it, ASUO Vice President Chii-San SunOwen pointed out that the Executive’s presentation of a benchmark recommendation was supposed to come before the committee’s recommendation. It didn’t matter as much Wednesday, since the Executive was in agreement with the committee, SunOwen said. Still, her and President Emily McLain’s protests about the procedure may be a sign of the contention that will likely be present at next week’s meeting, when the EMU and Programs Finance Committee budget benchmarks come to a vote.
University Senate President Gordon Sayre, an English professor, presented proposed changes to course evaluation forms currently under consideration by the faculty’s governing body. The evaluations would be collected online and could ask specific questions about individual courses. Sayre said the issue was likely to be contentious among the faculty because more questions would be added and some general questions for all students would have to be agreed upon.
Several senators voiced concerns about the plan, including whether students would take the time to complete the evaluations online. Sen. Kate Jones asked about student confidentiality. In order for an evaluation to be considered in faculty promotions, it has to come with a student’s signature attached. Jones said that on paper she can sign illegibly and still have her opinion count.
“That’s what we’re trying to get around,” Sayre said. If students want their comments to be considered when a faculty person comes up for tenure, students will have to attach their names to their comments.
He said it would be a human relations concern should a professor be denied tenure based on a negative evaluation signed by Mickey Mouse. Students will also have the option to opt out of the evaluations on the Web. Failure to complete the evaluation or opt out results in grades being held for two weeks under the current plan.
Jones said as a law student she has to take courses from the same professors for years. “There is a power differential and not everybody takes it well,” she said of negative evaluations. Sayre said he will take suggestions from all parties during the next week before the issue is considered at the next University Senate meeting.
In other business, the Senate created an internal budget reform committee and allocated $730 to the Black Student Union for group members to attend an annual national conference.
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