Referendum fail, tuition freeze blamed for fee increase, Laurentian University says
by Jordan Clancy
A 2018 referendum on student fees has left Varsity Athletics with the challenge of seeking more funding.
Dr. Serge Demers, the Interim Vice-President of Academic and Provost and Peter Hellstrom, the Director of Voyageur Athletics, sent a letter to student athletes informing them that athletic fees will be increasing, in some cases as much as $550 beginning in 2020.
“For the past years the university has been working under very difficult financial circumstances,” the letter said. “In November, 2018, a fees referendum was held, where students did not vote in favour of the proposed increase to the Athletics Recreation Fee to be charged to all Laurentian students.”
“This would have been instrumental in assuring the viability of Varsity Athletics through that referendum.”
In the letter, Demers and Hellstrom call the proposed solution to increase fees “imperfect,” but say the increases will “allow [the university] to continue to offer varsity experiences to students WITHOUT cutting any teams.”
“Students have made it clear that they do not want to see an increase to fees supporting Varsity Athletics. At the same time, the university cannot unilaterally increase those fees,” the letter said.
Demers and Hellstrom said they will be examining how a “pay-to-play model” pans out for Varsity athletics over the 2019-2020 school year, a model they say is popular with most Ontario Universities.
Players on “Tier 1” sports, like hockey, will see their athletic fee increase from $149 to $700, while “Tier 2” sports like soccer and cross country will increase from $149 to $500.
OUA guidelines
In June, the Board of Governors approved Laurentian Varsity Athletics to implement the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) sports model, which classifies varsity teams into three tiers, which establishes student-athlete fees.
In 2018-2019, the annual student-athlete fee ranged from $119-$149 depending on the tier of each team. G1 teams, include hockey, basketball and swimming, whereas cross-country, track and field, rowing and soccer are classified as G2 teams. Baseball, curling, golf and nordic skiing classify as G3 teams.
The Importance of Varsity Athletics
Caleb Beland, a fourth-year Kinesiology student and member of the Cross-Country and Track team, said that he believes varsity athletics are important for many reasons and plays a big role when it comes to building a community.
“Varsity sports bring exceptional individuals and students together to achieve great things, and also brings all those around each sport together,” Beland said. “The Voyageur XC/Track family consists of so many influential and generous individuals. Not only athletes, but alumni, trainers, coaches, and our sponsors, not to mention the strong running community that makes up Greater Sudbury.”
Beland adds that he believes varsity sports allows a variety of people to get together and grow as both individuals and teams. He mentions the opportunity sports provide for building character and skills.
“It gives our community a very large and diverse set of teams to cheer for and support. This includes our hype student body at Laurentian,” Beland said. “It allows you to work on your time management skills and your maturity in terms of your social accountability and behaviour as a representative of Laurentian and your team.”
While Beland said he understands the importance of varsity athletics for both athletes and community members, he understands why students did not vote for an increase in varsity athletic fee.
“I believe it [the increase in fees] will make things more complicated and challenging for many student-athletes, however I think students didn’t vote in favour of an increase because most students are not varsity athletes and school is as expensive as is,” he said.
“Realistically, asking students to pay more on top of all the fees we already pay is tough. I would have loved for it to work out, but it’s understandable.”
Fees Not Justified for Some
Claire Cashman, a fourth year Sport Psychology student, said although she feels that Varsity Athletics are important, she did not vote in favour of an increase in 2018.
“I think Varsity athletics and spirit are important to the Laurentian community, but students are already charged for so many other fees,” Cashman said. “I find that it is difficult to justify paying for something such as Varsity athletics, since I am not directly affected by it.”
Next Steps
According to Demers and Hellstrom, it is the “university’s expectation” that team coaches work with the athletic department to make up the difference in fees through reduced operating expenses and further fundraising.
Athletes and coaches will be provided with the chance to give feedback about their 2019-2020 athletic experience, before the Board makes their final decision in April 2020.