Preamble: This motion supports ASUO’s autonomy and authority over its own budget, specifically regarding its February 2020 decision to terminate its approximately $1.7M per-year agreement with the UO Athletics Department, under which ASUO incidental fee (I-Fee) money was paid to the Athletics Department for student tickets to intercollegiate sporting events. Furthermore, it calls on the UO Administration and Athletics Department to create a fair and equitable system for students to attend intercollegiate sporting events.

Section I

1.1 WHEREAS: Students were unable to attend athletic events for part of Winter 2020, all of Spring and Fall 2020, and all of 2021 so far due to the ongoing pandemic, and UO’s Athletic Department is unsure when sporting events with fans will restart;

1.2 WHEREAS: Through the I-Fee, students will pay approximately $1.7M this academic year for tickets that they never received, money which ASUO is planning to spend in part programs to support students’ basic needs and in part to return to students;

1.3 WHEREAS: The Athletics Department utilizes a lottery ticket system that all students must pay for, but which does not allow all students that want tickets to receive tickets for popular games, especially those with poor access to WiFi or jobs that do not allow them to sign onto the server during the allotted window;

1.4 WHEREAS: Historically 45% of UO students will not attend a single intercollegiate athletics event in a given year;

1.5 WHEREAS: The ASUO Student Senate has a constitutional right to autonomy over its budget, provided it follows its own bylaws;

1.6 WHEREAS: The ASUO Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee voted unanimously on January 19 to no longer fund the Athletics Agreement;

1.7 WHEREAS: The ASUO Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee and the ASUO Senate offered UO Athletics multiple budgetary appeals which UO Athletics rejected;

1.8 WHEREAS: The ASUO Student Senate voted on January 30 to approve the Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee Budget, and on February 2 rejected the proposal from President Schill that ASUO send part of the I-Fee money to the Athletics Department and impose a new mandatory fee on students, controlled by the administration, for the ticket lottery;

1.9 WHEREAS: The ASUO President approved this budget and sent it to President Schill on February 8.

Section II

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.

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.

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.