(01-17-2015 12:33 PM)ODUalum78 Wrote:  This is indeed a direct assault on ODU, and indirectly on JMU as well.
There can be no other interpretation.

This bill does nothing to appreciably reduce athletic student fees at any other school in Va except ODU, already one of the lowest cost public schools (fourth lowest tuition + fees ), and thus one of the best deals in Virgina.

Impacted football schools:
JMU's would be reduced by $111 from 1,234 to 1,123 (79% currently)
NSU's would be reduced 154.5 from 1,545 to 1,391 (80% currently)

Impacted non football schools schools (78%)
GMU would be reduced by 31 from 523 to 492 (84% currently)
Longwood would be reduced by 65 from 1,828 to 1,763 (87% currently)
Radford would be reduced by 81 from 1,150 to 1069 (85% currently)

Non Impacted schools (below the 70% or 78% threshold)
School 2013/2014 athletic fees only
VMI 1,576
W&M 1,575
UVA Wise 1,403
CNU 1,387
Va State 887
VCU 697
UVA 657
VT 273
UMW 135

As you can see from the above, athletic student fee reductions across the state would be very small as far as the total per student....except at ODU which would have to reduce athletic fees
by 722 from 1361 to 640.
This represents a 53% reduction to 20% of total athletic expenditures.

According to the USA Today data, only 49 of 230 Division I public universities met that threshold. All 49 compete in the so-called Power Five conferences


I now believe that this is an attempt to force ODU back to FCS, and keep JMU at FCS . Of course it would likely be of great benefit to JMU for ODU to become an in-state athletic rival again.

Kirk Cox:

Quote:“Nationally, JMU is viewed as one of the finest institutions” of its kind, he said. “They achieved this under the current configuration. I don’t think going to Division I-A is going to change that except to make it more expensive for students to attend JMU.

“I hope JMU considers the financial implications of any change.”

Without even remotely approaching the stated goal of substantially reducing student athletic fees across Virginia, there can really be no other explanation for HOUSE BILL NO. 1897

What is you source for the above fee schedule? I am attaching a link to a Washington Post article from October 24,2010 listing the high athletic fees charged by some VA colleges. Again, this concern over schools charging high fees to students has been a concern for some time in the media. Parents paying for college for their children must be concerned over the fees?

Athletic fees are a large, and sometimes hidden, cost at colleges

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...03002.html