BLog Posted by Tom Aswell on Louisianavoice.com

[detltu]

A quick question for all of the knowledgeable Tech fans on the board:

What is the deal with Athletic Fees?

We transfer X amount from the General Fund correct?

Is the general fund part of the money we get from the state or is it from our tuition?

If we decided we were going to charge the max athletic fee and not use the general fund transfer would the money we get from the state decrease by the same amount or would that be a way to increase our overall budget?

[The Historian]

A quick question for all of the knowledgeable Tech fans on the board:

What is the deal with Athletic Fees?

We transfer X amount from the General Fund correct?

Is the general fund part of the money we get from the state or is it from our tuition?

If we decided we were going to charge the max athletic fee and not use the general fund transfer would the money we get from the state decrease by the same amount or would that be a way to increase our overall budget?

Monies paid in student tuition go into the General Fund. Those dollars, along with an allocation from the state, come back to Tech and comprise the university budget. A portion of that budget can be allocated to athletics. The maximum dollar amount is dictated by several factors but is higher for football-playing schools in the FBS.

Tech could charge a higher student fee for athletics, but can only transfer up to the maxium under the Regents' rules. We already transfer the maximum, as does ULL. ULM does not transfer the maximum, given their overall budget situation.

This is one area, among many, where Aswell really misses the boat. He fails to realize that a large portion of the "General Fund" money is actually student tuition coming back to the university.

Also, the last numbers from the Regents I saw in this area showed that Louisiana was still below the national average in maxium allowable general fund/student fee transfers compared to our peers in other states.

[The Historian]

To follow up. With performance based funding, Tech isn't going to suffer the kinds of budget cuts other schools in the UL and LSU systems are facing. Aswell misses the mark on this subject, as well.

http://www.knoe.com/Global/story.asp?S=12766659

[CutiePie72]

It's named after James B. Aswell, the 3rd President of Louisiana Tech University. That's the great-great-uncle that Tom refered to in his article.

Guess I missed that since I didn't read everything word for word, just enough to be disgusted with the guy. And the fact that it was his great-great-uncle makes all his writings even more disgusting. I find it rather weird and sad that a great-great-nephew of a past Tech president would say such things about the school. He's probably turning over in his grave. Good grief.

[Allgood]

My rant for the day about student fees and the like:

Coming from a student, I'd pay an extra $120 a year at the gate to see Tech play at JAS.

As my 8am, math 101 professor told us, "Ight chilrens, time for arithmatic."

Let's say we bring in 6,000 students on average at 6 home games at $20 bucks, that's $720,000 extra to pay for BOP unis (), Q4E, etc.

[Abominable Gorilla]

My rant for the day about student fees and the like:

Coming from a student, I'd pay an extra $120 a year at the gate to see Tech play at JAS.

As my 8am, math 101 professor told us, "Ight chilrens, time for arithmatic."

Let's say we bring in 6,000 students on average at 6 home games at $20 bucks, that's $720,000 extra to pay for BOP unis (), Q4E, etc.

My suggestion was a check mark on the online payments for tuition asking if you'd like to make a $25 donation to athletics.

That said, students could still donate the $120 if they were so inclined.

[Dawg06]

Monies paid in student tuition go into the General Fund. Those dollars, along with an allocation from the state, come back to Tech and comprise the university budget. A portion of that budget can be allocated to athletics. The maximum dollar amount is dictated by several factors but is higher for football-playing schools in the FBS.

Tech could charge a higher student fee for athletics, but can only transfer up to the maxium under the Regents' rules. We already transfer the maximum, as does ULL. ULM does not transfer the maximum, given their overall budget situation.

This is one area, among many, where Aswell really misses the boat. He fails to realize that a large portion of the "General Fund" money is actually student tuition coming back to the university.

Also, the last numbers from the Regents I saw in this area showed that Louisiana was still below the national average in maxium allowable general fund/student fee transfers compared to our peers in other states.

Exactly. According to the US Dept of Education, only 37% of Tech's general fund comes from state appropriated funds. EagerEagle had made people believe that our general fund and "direct institutional support" are 100% taxpayer money. This is not true.

[okiealdawg]

My wife and I drove in from Bama for the USM game and spent the following in Ruston:

Hotel - 2 nights $135
Meals - 5 total $120
Dawghouse - $20
Bookstore - 3 shirts and coozie $95
Gas - $40
Lottery tickets - $10 (didn't even win a free ticket...)
Walmart - 12 pack beer and cooler - $30
Game tickets - $50
Program - $5
Drinks at game - $20

Overall total - $525

My brother and his son drove up from Houston and spent about the same $.

That's $525 that was spent in Ruston that without La Tech football we would have no reason at all to come back. Now if 2000 or so people did the same that's over 1 million spent right there. As program grows the economic impact becomes even more impressive and can easily offset the 4 million in general transfers from the state.

Forgot to add we won $107 in Vicksburg - sorry Mississippi!

[HogDawg]

How do backwards thinking, sighing-for-the-past people like Aswell and Mrs. Piker (responded favorably to his blog) even write this crap? Surely in their longing-for-the-60's, wallowing in antiquity minds they wouldn't use one of these newfangled computers like I'm writing on. I was at Tech with Aswell and took classes under Piker's dad, so I know that era, but:

THIS IS THE MOST EXCITING, ENERGIZED, POSITIVE ERA EVER TO BE A TECH FAN!!!!

Our facilities have made wonderful progress, and will soon be getting monumentally better. In their old world I'd never have seen Ryan Moats kick Fresno's ass, Livas return a kickoff on national TV, us take down an SEC school in Ruston, seen my Dawgs pulverize SMU and Tulsa, or been in dynamite crowd on ESPN as we took on Hawaii and Boise at home last year. Tailgating in the 60's: never. Dawgzilla: no way. I guess Aswell would kill women's athletics too. Yuk.

Too bad the small minded are missing the excitement and thrill of being a 21st century TECH FAN.

GO DAWGS!!!!!

Love that post, Russdawg!


HD

[Bulletproof lover]

Old people hate change.

[Snapdawg]

Old people hate change.

Your full of S___, I'm older than dirt.

[hoppinmad]

Old people hate change.

'cept when there's a parking meter or newspaper machine .

[hoppinmad]

Nice work everyone who's replied to Aswell's blog.

[detltu]

Monies paid in student tuition go into the General Fund. Those dollars, along with an allocation from the state, come back to Tech and comprise the university budget. A portion of that budget can be allocated to athletics. The maximum dollar amount is dictated by several factors but is higher for football-playing schools in the FBS.

Tech could charge a higher student fee for athletics, but can only transfer up to the maxium under the Regents' rules. We already transfer the maximum, as does ULL. ULM does not transfer the maximum, given their overall budget situation.

This is one area, among many, where Aswell really misses the boat. He fails to realize that a large portion of the "General Fund" money is actually student tuition coming back to the university.

Also, the last numbers from the Regents I saw in this area showed that Louisiana was still below the national average in maxium allowable general fund/student fee transfers compared to our peers in other states.

Thanks for the response. So if we charged student fees wouldn't we see a small increase in budget? Our athletic budget wouldn't change but there would be a larger amount of money in the general fund correct?

[The Historian]

Thanks for the response. So if we charged student fees wouldn't we see a small increase in budget? Our athletic budget wouldn't change but there would be a larger amount of money in the general fund correct?

Correct. The AD budget would not change, but you could redirect monies elsewhere that could indirectly impact the AD, such as facilities improvements around campus, etc...