[Uosenateexec] =?utf-8?Q?President=E2=80=99s_?=response to our =?utf-8?Q?=E2=80=9CSupporting_?=the =?utf-8?Q?ASUO=E2=80=99s_decision=E2=80=A6=E2=80=9D_?=motion US20/21-08

[Senate Pres Elliot Berkman]

Good afternoon, Senators,

I have further information to share in response to questions raised by Senators about the President’s recommendations. It’s been a long pandemic for all of us, so I can sympathize that it has become difficult to recognize good news when it arrives. But this is indeed good news.

You will recall that at the most recent Senate meeting we made three requests. We have gotten exactly what we asked for. Here are the results:

2.1 THEREFORE BE IT MOVED THAT the University Senate calls on UO Administration and the Board of Trustees to respect ASUO’s autonomy and authority over their own budget.
	The President recommended the ASUO’s proposed budget - including the new basic needs programs and without athletic costs from the I-Fee - with only a minor cost savings to students (a total fee of $268.25 instead of ASUO’s proposed $270.00, a change which is supported by the ASUO President).

2.2 BE IT FURTHER MOVED THAT the University Senate supports the decision by the ASUO Student Senate to reject the proposals from the UO Administration that ASUO send a portion of the money they have saved as a result of not paying for tickets during the pandemic to UO’s Athletic Department, and to instead support basic needs programs and return money to students.
	The ASUO has decided to allocate its money to basic needs programs and not to tickets, and the President has endorsed this decision in his (attached) memo to the Board.

2.3 BE IT FINALLY MOVED THAT the University Senate opposes the new mandatory Athletics fee on students for the ticket lottery, and calls on President Schill to work with the Athletics Department to provide adequate funding for student tickets from the Athletic Department’s other sources of funding, or adopt a voluntary plan by which those students who want to attend intercollegiate sporting events can purchase a package of tickets from the Athletic Department for the student section at reduced prices.

	The President is recommending no new mandatory Athletics fee on students. The President worked with the Athletics Department to identify a source of funding out of the Athletic Department's other sources of funding to support voluntary student plans. Students who can afford them can purchase these passes.

I’m sure we could find ways to quibble with the details, but in total the President’s recommendations to the Board are consistent with our motion.

President Schill wrote this in response to our queries:
	Thank you for forwarding the questions that came up about my letter to you in connection with Senate Resolution US20/21-08.  In that letter I let you know that I have not proposed an athletics ticket fee to replace the funds traditionally covered by the I-Fee for free student tickets.  However, I heard overwhelming support (from our students and the Senate) to ensure students had access to tickets, and thus decided to make available $1.2 million in licensing revenue to subsidize the cost of 5,000 sports passes for our students.

	There were two questions: (1) where does this licensing revenue come from, and (2) what uses had we made of the revenue in the past.

	Each year the University of Oregon usually collects $2 to $4 million of revenue from the sale of UO-branded merchandise (e.g., shirts, jerseys, gifts).  Most of this revenue is attributable to people buying Ducks merchandise at games, in connection with athletic events, or because of Athletics’ national brand.  As you might imagine the amount we collect correlates to the success of our football and basketball teams, in particular. We have historically split this revenue between the athletic department and the central budget, after covering the expenses of the brand management and licensing office. That central portion—not part of the E&G budget—has been used to pay for one-time expenses, but was not used for academic unit budgets.

	I understand that some would prefer that the athletics department simply take the loss and continue to provide free tickets. Given deficits faced by the department, I made the decision against putting that burden on them and instead used discretionary resources to ensure that students have access to discounted tickets. I understand that not everyone will agree with my decision, but, in the end, it is in fact my call to make.

Congratulations again to the sponsors of this motion and the majority of Senators who support it.

- Ell

Elliot Berkman
Senate President
Professor, Department of Psychology & Center for Translational Neuroscience
he/him/his
On Mar 2, 2021, 11:24 AM -0800, Senate Pres Elliot Berkman <senatepres at uoregon.edu>, wrote:
> Good morning, Senators,
>
> I’m very pleased to send along President Schill’s response to the motion we passed last week, “Supporting the ASUO’s decision to repurpose the student I-Fee money and opposing a new mandatory UO Fee for an athletic lottery ticket.” As you will see, President Schill accepted our recommendation to ratify ASUO’s budget and also to not recommend a new mandatory fee for the student ticket lottery. I’m attaching his note to the Senate and his memo to the Board ahead of their meeting next week.
>
> When I stood for election to Vice President and President-Elect, I argued that I wanted the Senate to have more power. Given the constraints of the UO Constitution, the Senate is limited in its power outside of academic matters except insofar as we can persuade decision makers of our positions. This resolution is an example of what can happen when we build a reasoned argument through a consultative process. You might be aware that the resolution was the result of numerous conversations among ASUO leaders, Senators, the Senate Executive Committee, and many others.
>
> Vice President Gildea and I congratulate everyone who crafted this motion and the substantial majority who supported it.
>
> - Ell
>
> Elliot Berkman
> Senate President
> Professor, Department of Psychology & Center for Translational Neuroscience
> he/him/his
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