By snoadmin
The Long Beach State athletic department does not have any immediate plans on how to use the additional $2.38 million in annual funds it will receive from a student fee increase, athletic director Vic Cegles said Wednesday night.
“I’m not sure,” Cegles said while watching the LBSU men’s volleyball match at the Walter Pyramid. “I basically sent a note to all the coaches and staff and said, ‘Hey, you know what guys? We’ll sit down with everybody and talk about our priorities.’
“I think it provides momentum for capital campaign fundraising.”
Via e-mail, LBSU President F. King Alexander announced earlier in the day that an additional $94 each semester and $35 in the summer will be added effective this summer. The fee will provide $6.6 million in additional funding over two semesters — 36 percent of which will go to athletics.
“We have a terrific president who understands the impact of athletics on student development,” Cegles said. “And we also have a president who understands the impact it has on the overall perception of the university.”
Cegles also alluded to athletes such as Olympic gold medalist and volleyball star Misty May, baseball star Evan Longoria and golfer Paul Goydos — all LBSU alumni — who give the university an “identity.”
Cegles added that an increased contribution from students was needed to enhance not only athletics, but the university as a whole.
“To build a building, to improve a program, to enhance an academic major — it’s going to have to come from student fees,” he said. “Because it’s not going to come from the state because there’s no money there.”
In the campus-wide e-mail, Alexander referenced the Beach Legacy Referendum, which was voted down by the students in March 2009. The BLR, which was an advisory vote, called for a $95 per semester fee increase to help fund a women’s soccer stadium and upgrade athletic facilities such as the campus track.
“This referendum has almost been two years since we put it up for a vote,” Cegles said. “I’m just pleased and excited about the opportunity to have some additional resources for our programs. So we have not sat down to say, ‘Here’s what we’re going to do with those resources.'”
Dubbed the Student Excellence Fund, the fee increase comes after a steady demand from alumni. But Cegles said the demand is nothing new and did not bring any added pressure to lobby Alexander for a fee increase.
“There’s always pressure from alumni,” he said. “Everybody wants to win, everybody wants to get better … but he had to wait for the right time.”
The state of the economy the past two years contributed to the wait, Cegles said.
“So, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do,” he continued, “and I think we can be very, very good at this level and beat a lot nationally recognized teams if we improve our facilities.”
Despite the additional funds, Cegles quickly dismissed the idea that the fee increase would help bring back a football team. A referendum to reinstate a program will be on the campus ballot in March.
Cegles said that he “loves” college football, but the conversation cannot begin without a stadium.
“It’s just not reality,” Cegles said.
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