The University recently altered its activities fees for graduate students this semester to give all full-time graduate students access to University athletic events.\nMany students past their second year of graduate school at the University are still considered full-time students, but have fewer credit hours from classes and spend more time conducting research, said Matt Rannals, president of the Graduate Arts & Sciences Council. Previously, these students only paid a portion of the student activities fee for athletic events but could not access the events for free. The Board of Visitors, though, approved fee changes so that graduate students past their second year would pay full fees, and the athletics department would grant them full access to events, Athletics Director Craig Littlepage said.\n"I think the fact that you were paying a third of the price and weren't getting any access was something they found insulting and a bit of a kick to the face," said David Hondula, chair of Student Council's Athletic Affairs Committee.\nGraduate Council representatives had been working with the athletic department to obtain access to some athletic events for students paying the partial fee, Littlepage said. In particular, the athletic department had considered giving access to several football and basketball games for students paying the partial fee.\n"We were looking at that [option] in the fall of 2008 and early winter 2009, and when this [change] came out that became a moot point," Littlepage said.\nBoth the athletic department and the Graduate Council are making efforts to publicize the recent change, Littlepage and Hondula said.\n"Specifics are still in development, but I know the Graduate Council is doing some flyering and some e-mailing, and the athletic affairs committee [of student council] is planning on doing some work as well," Hondula said.\nAdditionally, the athletic department is using e-mail and an announcement on its Web site to publicize graduate students' access to games, Littlepage said, adding that the athletic department believes the full access should be beneficial for both the graduate students and the University's athletics program.\n"I think it is a win-win - something that'll be beneficial for these graduate students and beneficial for us in terms of getting higher levels of support," Littlepage said.
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