Last night Student Council discussed a resolution that would work to allow part-time and research-only graduate students partial access to athletic events, proportional to the fees these students currently pay.
Part-time and research-only graduate students pay a $189 athletic fee per semester as a part of their tuition costs, while full-time students pay $644, said Graduate Arts & Sciences Rep. David Hondula, who sponsored the resolution. Despite the fact that part-time and research-only graduate students pay an athletic fee, Hondula noted, these students do not have free access to any athletic events that require a ticket, such as baseball, soccer and football games.
Currently, part-time and research-only graduate students who want to attend ticketed events regularly without purchasing individual tickets must pay the difference between the part-time student athletic fee — which they already pay — and the full-time student athletic fee, Hondula said.
“If these students want to see what games are about, then they should be able to be a part of it,” Hondula said. “They’re a part of this community and they are paying a fee, even if it’s not as much as everyone else is paying.”
Council President Matt Schrimper said it is important to remember that Hondula and members of the Graduate Arts & Sciences Council are not asking for permission to attend all ticketed athletic events at a discounted rate. Instead, they are requesting that graduate students be permitted to attend the percentage of ticketed sporting events equivalent to the percentage of the full-time student athletics fee they currently pay. Schrimper noted that the current part-time graduate athletics fee only goes toward athletic facility maintenance and does not benefit students personally.
The issue of allowing part-time and research-only graduate students some access to sporting events relates to larger Council concerns of creating a united University community, inclusive of both undergraduate and graduate students.
“There has been an ongoing concern that the graduate school community is distinct and separate from the undergraduate community,” Schrimper said, “It leads to the idea that graduate voices not being heard as loudly as undergraduate voices.”
Hondula agreed, noting that graduate student integration is a challenge that the University currently faces and adding that athletic events are an excellent way to promote the community.
“I think athletics [are] one of the best ways to welcome graduate students to the community,” Hondula said, “I can’t imagine a worse welcome than a graduate student showing up to a football game and being told ‘no,’ that they can’t get in.”
John Burke, Graduate Arts & Sciences Council president, spoke at the beginning of the meeting to encourage Council members to support the measure.
“We’re asking you to join us in this effort and to support this resolution,” Burke told Council memberes. “We’ve been talking to the [athletic] department for a year and a half and we haven’t received any real response at all.”
Vice President for Organizations Kayla Wherry expressed some concern with the proposed resolution, pointing out that part-time undergraduate students, like part-time graduate students, are also not allowed any access to certain athletic events.
Hondula, however, said Council intends to look into incorporating part-time undergraduate students into the resolution.
If the legislation is passed, Hondula said, Council will look into ways to give part-time and research graduate students limited access to events.
Schrimper said the issue deserves further focus from Council.
“I was very pleased to see this proposal, and it will be backed up by a series of meetings and coordinated efforts to ensure that this is something we can provide for graduate students,” Schrimper said.
Council will vote on this legislation at next week’s meeting.
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