Students will see a $52 hike in their student fees next fall, now that university President John D. Welty has signed the new Instructionally Related Activity (IRA) Fee.

The fee will be split, with $32 going to fund athletics and $20 going to fund other academic projects, such as student clubs, conferences and field trips. Most of the athletics money will fund the two new women̢۪s sports: swimming and diving, and lacrosse.

However, Dean of Student Affairs Paul Oliaro, Ph.D., said that the $32 still places the emphasis on athletics to raise a majority of their money through ticket sales and community fundraising.

“There’s no quick fixes,â€Â Oliaro said, adding that all revenue streams are necessary to fund a quality program.

Welty said that increasing the athletics money is mostly “an issue of fairness.â€Â

“The community has provided significant support for that program over the years; therefore, if we’re going to continue, everyone has to pay part of the cost of the program,â€Â Welty said.

However, many students still feel that they shouldn̢۪t be the ones to fund an athletic program they don̢۪t use.

“I don’t think it’s fair. I’m being forced to pay more for programs that I’m not using,â€Â said Alejandro Romero, a sophomore and psychology major. “Fees have been going up already and I don’t think it should go up even more.â€Â

Hector Cerda, a senior and liberal studies major, spear-headed a student group that pushed to open the Campus Fee Advisory Committee’s meeting. He said that he was “upset but I wasn’t surprised.â€Â

Cerda said that he felt “robbedâ€Â that the committee recommended the $52 hike – an $18 decrease from the initial $70 proposal that students voted on in April.

“We want to leave with a bang, but what kind of bang is it?â€Â Cerda said. “Is it the kind of bang where we are shooting ourselves in the foot?â€Â

Oliaro, the chair of the fee committee, said that he was pleased that Welty went along with their recommendation.

“It was a thoughtful discussion,â€Â Oliaro said of the committee meeting. “We tried to do what was in the best interest of the whole university.â€Â

Currently $7 of students̢۪ fees goes toward athletics. The average for other schools similar to Fresno State is $59.

Welty said that there were several factors that went into his decision, including requests for funds from students. The IRA fee is $10 per semester right now, giving $419,595 to cover $1.36 million in requests.

“With regard to the academic projects, there are several programs that would be in serious jeopardy if they don’t get additional revenue, particularly programs in music and theater,â€Â Welty said.

Another factor that Welty said went into his decision was an increase in financial aid. Federal Pell-Grant funding will also increase next fall, so the 48 percent of Fresno State students who receive Pell

Grants may see enough of an increase to offset the new fee.
Additional reporting by Joseph Luiz