SBO Officers

“While I am a huge supporter of SMU athletics and agree with Mr. Orisni’s state that the athletic program is life a ‘front porch’ I am concerned by the high deflect numbers, especially when considering the amount of sacrifices students and their families must make during these difficult economic times in order to obtain an SMU education.  I am also concerned by the fact that only 59 dollars of the 1,900 plus dollars per student paid annually to student fees goes to the Student Senate.  We have had to pull back funding to many qualified organizations that represent SMU on a community, national and international level.  Perhaps some of the fees going to the athletic department and its highly expensive advertising campaigns could be given to student organizations that more than deserve them.”
-Patrick Kobler, Student Body President

Transparency between college athletic departments and it students is an absolute necessity to smoothing over the debate on the amount of tuition funds that are being used in the program.  My opinion, however, is that while the expenses and deficit are increasing, they are doing so to strengthen the University and so far it has been successful as we went to our first bowl game in 25 years.
-Allison Reyes, Student Body Vice President

Students

I doubt any other department in the university would be allowed to go that deep into debt. Obama should bail them out.
-Alex Morgan, freshman political science major

I think that if every department on campus has been required to cut back expenses because of the economy, the football department should too. Maybe the football department should have thought twice about paying for transportation to Hawaii for players, cheerleaders, and the band. They could have saved a lot of money.
-Haley Gatewood, Sophomore

Athletic departments are not money makers unless you are at a big school like the University of Texas. Where they do help is keeping alumni interested in the school, making them more likely to donate, as well as raising awareness that the school exists, making students’ degrees more valuable.
-Nathan Vance, senior real estate finance major.

This is ridiculous. They should limit how much of our tuition is given to the football team so they don’t have to raise student tuition and cut student funds at the same time. I feel like students who don’t play football are getting ripped off. I’m glad we offer scholarships to football players, but that shouldn’t be at the expense of the rest of the student body.
-Ben Nguyen, sophomore finance major

If President Turner is calling for transparency of the athletic budget then I wonder how does the athletic department continue to deny the information to the SMU student leaders.  It seems that the athletic department has more influence and power on campus than even President Turner. I know many parents would not feel comfortable giving their money to a University who cannot even manage their athletic budget.
-Jonathan Machemehl, freshman political science major

I think that in light of the current economic crisis, it is incredibly fiscally irresponsible to pour more money into athletics rather than into scholarships and academic programs. A university is more than its football team.
-Alex Bret, sophomore history and religious studies double major

What do the SBO Candidates think?

To the extent that the school is using students’ money, I believe we have a right to know how funds coming from students are put to use. It is important to be sure everyone is open, transparent and communicating about finances – especially during our current climate of rising tuition, fees and a struggling economy.
-Jack Benage, Candidate for President

I think this deficit shows a huge lack of priorities on the part of the SMU administration. I thought I went to a school that was supplemented by an athletics program, not the other way around. With tuition increases every year on top of the costs of an already expensive school, this article made me want to know exactly where my money is going. Of course that would require more transparency which this school does seem ready to embrace.
-Alex Ehmke, candidate for vice president

It was a substantial sum of money, but I am a big fan of SMU athletics and I’m glad that we are spending the money. All in all, it’s a lot of money but I think its essential and needed part of the university. It helps balance us out.
-Austin Prentice, candidate for vice president

The other candidate for president, Jake Torres, did not respond to e-mails asking for a response.