Football pricey but rewarding

By Ted Hutton
Staff Writer
Posted August 4 2005


While many Florida Atlantic students are upset that their student athletic fee was raised to bail out the struggling football program, Old Dominion recently voted to add football and students are supporting a new athletic fee to fund it.

"Nobody wants to pay more money, but we really want football," said Adam Perry, Old Dominion's student body president. "There is no organized opposition."

Old Dominion, located in Norfolk, Va., and FAU have several similarities. Both are large public universities with a student body primarily made up of commuters. Both are in the shadows of larger state universities that have nationally recognized athletic programs.

"We want to lose the commuter school image. We are trying to gain more recognition. One thing our school lacks is football," Perry said, echoing many of the reasons given for FAU's decision to start its program.

"It does sound similar," said Dan Wilson, FAU's student body president. "We want to have a more traditional university, and football helps do that."

FAU students will be paying $13.75 per credit hour. Old Dominion, which hopes to start play in 2009, will start with a $1 per credit hour fee in 2006. That will rise to $7.50 by 2009 and $10 by 2014.

"We're trying to become a real school," Perry said.