Student access to sports is going to cost more

bayrooster

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My first thought is that the extra fees might be used, in part, to pay the salaries of certain fellow "students" recruited for sportsball. Will athletes be required to pay the new fee as well?
 

PrestonyteParrot

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My first thought is that the extra fees might be used, in part, to pay the salaries of certain fellow "students" recruited for sportsball. Will athletes be required to pay the new fee as well?
Here's is the University's ''coach speak'' on the use of funds

''The new fee is estimated to create over $11 million in new revenue and comes in the wake of the recent House settlement, although USC says the new revenue won't be put toward settlement payouts, nor will it be used to pay for new scholarships or renovations to Williams-Brice Stadium.
Students will pay an additional $300 in fees to help support quarterback LaNorris Sellers and the South Carolina Gamecocks football team as well as the rest of the university's athletic program.

Instead, the new stream of money will help "continue student access to athletics events/ticket lottery, address increased event/program operating costs, and enhance the student experience across multiple USC sporting venues," the university statement read. "Enhancements will include student centered in-game activity and promotions, facility upgrades and additional support for health/safety staffing at athletics events.”
 

bayrooster

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Here's is the University's ''coach speak'' on the use of funds

''The new fee is estimated to create over $11 million in new revenue and comes in the wake of the recent House settlement, although USC says the new revenue won't be put toward settlement payouts, nor will it be used to pay for new scholarships or renovations to Williams-Brice Stadium.
Students will pay an additional $300 in fees to help support quarterback LaNorris Sellers and the South Carolina Gamecocks football team as well as the rest of the university's athletic program.

Instead, the new stream of money will help "continue student access to athletics events/ticket lottery, address increased event/program operating costs, and enhance the student experience across multiple USC sporting venues," the university statement read. "Enhancements will include student centered in-game activity and promotions, facility upgrades and additional support for health/safety staffing at athletics events.”
"Program operating costs" such as LaNorris Sellers. 😁
 
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Uscg1984

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"enhance the student experience across multiple USC sporting venues."

I love how the universities use this language to justify making you pay more. The only "enhancement" any of us care about are more wins, but I doubt that's what they are talking about.
 
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Piscis

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I think paying athletic fees should be optional for students. There are a lot of students who care nothing about sports or teams while they are in college. They never go to any game or sporting event of any kind while they are in school. They should not be forced to pay for something they do not use.

That said, if they decide they want to go to a game or event, they should have to buy a ticket like anyone else in the general public.
 

PrestonyteParrot

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Having an opt-out defeats the purpose of the fee, which is raising as much money as possible.
Following in the footsteps of HOA's - no opt-out if even if you don't use the amenities. :rolleyes:
 

bayrooster

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Having an opt-out defeats the purpose of the fee, which is raising as much money as possible.
Following in the footsteps of HOA's - no opt-out if even if you don't use the amenities. :rolleyes:
Tell me about it. I'd love to be responsible for my own groundskeeping.
 

Uscg1984

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Having an opt-out defeats the purpose of the fee, which is raising as much money as possible.
Following in the footsteps of HOA's - no opt-out if even if you don't use the amenities. :rolleyes:
At least the HOA has the ostensible benefit of maintaining property values in the neighborhood. This practice feels more like ESPN's traditional business model with the cable companies - force everyone who wants cable, even those who couldn't care less about sports, to pay for an ESPN subscription.

It's one thing to embed a $100ish fee into every student's bill, but $500 per year is real money, especially considering the average college student in America graduates with over $30K of debt. It's good to see Carolina is doing its part to make sure that number grows. :rolleyes:
 
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Dabo's Weenie

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At least the HOA has the ostensible benefit of maintaining property values in the neighborhood. This practice feels more like ESPN's traditional business model with the cable companies - force everyone who wants cable, even those who couldn't care less about sports, to pay for an ESPN subscription.

It's one thing to embed a $100ish fee into every student's bill, but $500 per year is real money, especially considering the average college student in America graduates with over $30K of debt. It's good to see Carolina is doing its part to make sure that number grows. :rolleyes:

$30k? That's all? I was thinking they were averaging 6-figures once they got out.

$30k hardly buys a decent car nowadays... or a few dozen eggs. Doesn't seem like too onerous of a debt when one can get a job super-sizing orders at some places and make $20/hr.
 

Piscis

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At least the HOA has the ostensible benefit of maintaining property values in the neighborhood. This practice feels more like ESPN's traditional business model with the cable companies - force everyone who wants cable, even those who couldn't care less about sports, to pay for an ESPN subscription.

It's one thing to embed a $100ish fee into every student's bill, but $500 per year is real money, especially considering the average college student in America graduates with over $30K of debt. It's good to see Carolina is doing its part to make sure that number grows. :rolleyes:
For $500 a year, a student could buy a ticket to almost all of the football games on Stubhub.
 
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Piscis

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$30k? That's all? I was thinking they were averaging 6-figures once they got out.

$30k hardly buys a decent car nowadays... or a few dozen eggs. Doesn't seem like too onerous of a debt when one can get a job super-sizing orders at some places and make $20/hr.
At 0% interest paying $500 a month, it would take 5 years to pay off $30,000. That puts a pretty big dent in a college grads budget.

I guess it's easy to be dismissive of other people's debt.
 

Uscg1984

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$30k? That's all? I was thinking they were averaging 6-figures once they got out.
I was a little surprised it was that low as well, but that's what Google told me was the average for American students. I'm sure that number includes all of the grads who graduated with zero debt because they went to community college, lived at home, worked their way through school, etc. so that would mitigate against some of the student loan horror stories we hear about when computing averages.

Regardless of the debt, the cost of attendance at USC is about $30K per year for a SC resident living on campus. One way or the other, they'll have to come up with about $120K for that degree. And now they'll pay a little bit more. Unless, of course, they are one of the athletes who will make millions while in school.
 
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bayrooster

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I was a little surprised it was that low as well, but that's what Google told me was the average for American students. I'm sure that number includes all of the grads who graduated with zero debt because they went to community college, lived at home, worked their way through school, etc. so that would mitigate against some of the student loan horror stories we hear about when computing averages.

Regardless of the debt, the cost of attendance at USC is about $30K per year for a SC resident living on campus. One way or the other, they'll have to come up with about $120K for that degree. And now they'll pay a little bit more. Unless, of course, they are one of the athletes who will make millions while in school.
There aren't very many degree programs that make a good return on a $120K investment. All I can say for those deciding on a major is "choose wisely."
 
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Dabo's Weenie

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At 0% interest paying $500 a month, it would take 5 years to pay off $30,000. That puts a pretty big dent in a college grads budget.

I guess it's easy to be dismissive of other people's debt.

I wasn't being "dismissive", simply stating the amount was much less than I'd been led to believe and that it didn't seem excessive relative to the price of other necessities. I keep hearing in-state students are racking up that much or more each year in debt for school, so the number was surprisingly low in that regard.
And the size of the dent would depend on what they're bringing home each month. I'm thinking someone with MD or Esquire after their name will have a different budget than those that got a General Studies, Library Science, etc., degree.
 

Dabo's Weenie

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I was a little surprised it was that low as well, but that's what Google told me was the average for American students. I'm sure that number includes all of the grads who graduated with zero debt because they went to community college, lived at home, worked their way through school, etc. so that would mitigate against some of the student loan horror stories we hear about when computing averages.

Regardless of the debt, the cost of attendance at USC is about $30K per year for a SC resident living on campus. One way or the other, they'll have to come up with about $120K for that degree. And now they'll pay a little bit more. Unless, of course, they are one of the athletes who will make millions while in school.
That's what I've been hearing - folks are dropping $30k-$40k a year and just financing it as they go. Talk about starting off behind the 8 ball - that's a time-bomb for your financial future.
 

Dabo's Weenie

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There aren't very many degree programs that make a good return on a $120K investment. All I can say for those deciding on a major is "choose wisely."

Agreed. But they've convinced so many people they "need" a degree to make it in today's world. If some of these people knew what others were making with businesses in the trades and contracting they might change their tune. Add the ease of obtaining a loan that distorts the supply/demand curve plus a lack of common sense and you get these ultra-inflated tuition rates. Waiting for the day that bubble bursts.
 

Piscis

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I wasn't being "dismissive", simply stating the amount was much less than I'd been led to believe and that it didn't seem excessive relative to the price of other necessities. I keep hearing in-state students are racking up that much or more each year in debt for school, so the number was surprisingly low in that regard.
And the size of the dent would depend on what they're bringing home each month. I'm thinking someone with MD or Esquire after their name will have a different budget than those that got a General Studies, Library Science, etc., degree.
MD, yes, student debt is a pretty good risk to take. Their income will quickly absorb any debt they have from school. Esquire, I'm not so sure. For every lawyer knocking down the big bucks, there are hundreds struggling to make ends meet working in DAs offices or as staff attorneys for big companies.

Interestingly, Library Science (or the modern equivalent of it) is probably a more marketable degree than Psychology, Sociology or History. I think Education degrees are probably the worst investment if one has to take out student loans to get one. The national average pay for first year teachers in a public school is around $45,000 a year, for a job that is pretty miserable and doesn't have a lot of opportunity for making more money without paying for more degrees.
 

Uscg1984

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MD, yes, student debt is a pretty good risk to take. Their income will quickly absorb any debt they have from school. Esquire, I'm not so sure. For every lawyer knocking down the big bucks, there are hundreds struggling to make ends meet working in DAs offices or as staff attorneys for big companies.
The problem with the professional degrees example, as it relates to undergraduate debt, of course, is that undergrad is just the gateway to grad school/professional school. Whatever debt they carry after undergrad is just going to continue to accrue interest for however long their professional degree program takes. If they are also borrowing their way through that professional program (which is likely, if they are carrying undergrad debt), then it all just snowballs.

When I was in law school in the late 90s, I had classmates who _started_ law school about $100K in debt from undergrad. After financing their law school education, they entered the work force nearly $200K in debt. Three decades later, given the escalation in costs, I'm sure it is not unusual for similarly situated graduates to carry $300K+. That is an incredible debt burden for a new professional. My advice to anyone thinking of going to law school, medical school, or any other expensive advanced degree program is to figure out how to pay for undergrad without borrowing. Professional school is so outrageously expensive for most that it is almost impossible to pay for it without at least some loan assistance. Don't compound your problem by financing your undergrad education as well.

As for law school being a good investment, I think it still is for most, if done smartly. I think the assertion there are "hundreds" trying to make ends meet for every one making big bucks is hyperbolic, but I suppose it depends on one's definition of "big bucks" and "making ends meet." lol. It is, at least, a degree that provides opportunities to make substantial income and in a variety of different ways. And it typically doesn't involve higher level mathematics. :ROFLMAO:
 

Piscis

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The problem with the professional degrees example, as it relates to undergraduate debt, of course, is that undergrad is just the gateway to grad school/professional school. Whatever debt they carry after undergrad is just going to continue to accrue interest for however long their professional degree program takes. If they are also borrowing their way through that professional program (which is likely, if they are carrying undergrad debt), then it all just snowballs.

When I was in law school in the late 90s, I had classmates who _started_ law school about $100K in debt from undergrad. After financing their law school education, they entered the work force nearly $200K in debt. Three decades later, given the escalation in costs, I'm sure it is not unusual for similarly situated graduates to carry $300K+. That is an incredible debt burden for a new professional. My advice to anyone thinking of going to law school, medical school, or any other expensive advanced degree program is to figure out how to pay for undergrad without borrowing. Professional school is so outrageously expensive for most that it is almost impossible to pay for it without at least some loan assistance. Don't compound your problem by financing your undergrad education as well.

As for law school being a good investment, I think it still is for most, if done smartly. I think the assertion there are "hundreds" trying to make ends meet for every one making big bucks is hyperbolic, but I suppose it depends on one's definition of "big bucks" and "making ends meet." lol. It is, at least, a degree that provides opportunities to make substantial income and in a variety of different ways. And it typically doesn't involve higher level mathematics. :ROFLMAO:
You are spot on about the "opportunity" thing. You are also correct about the professional degree cost as well. In medicine, the "starting" pay is so good, as long as they don't choose pediatrics or general practice, their $300K in debt is easy to service while living a very nice lifestyle right out of school. A neighbor of mine is a doctor, some sort of surgeon, who has been in practice for about 5 years. I'm pretty sure he is making $500K+ each year. He drives a fairly new Porsche and his hot wife drives a Lexus SUV. Law, on the other hand, generally involves being an associate at a firm making little more than people with a bachelor's degree in other jobs or working for peanuts in a solicitor or prosecutor's office for pretty meager pay while they wait for an opportunity to make partner somewhere. That $2-300K debt burden is brutal on a young lawyer trying to get started and possibly start a family.
 
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Dabo's Weenie

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The problem with the professional degrees example, as it relates to undergraduate debt, of course, is that undergrad is just the gateway to grad school/professional school. Whatever debt they carry after undergrad is just going to continue to accrue interest for however long their professional degree program takes. If they are also borrowing their way through that professional program (which is likely, if they are carrying undergrad debt), then it all just snowballs.

When I was in law school in the late 90s, I had classmates who _started_ law school about $100K in debt from undergrad. After financing their law school education, they entered the work force nearly $200K in debt. Three decades later, given the escalation in costs, I'm sure it is not unusual for similarly situated graduates to carry $300K+. That is an incredible debt burden for a new professional. My advice to anyone thinking of going to law school, medical school, or any other expensive advanced degree program is to figure out how to pay for undergrad without borrowing. Professional school is so outrageously expensive for most that it is almost impossible to pay for it without at least some loan assistance. Don't compound your problem by financing your undergrad education as well.

As for law school being a good investment, I think it still is for most, if done smartly. I think the assertion there are "hundreds" trying to make ends meet for every one making big bucks is hyperbolic, but I suppose it depends on one's definition of "big bucks" and "making ends meet." lol. It is, at least, a degree that provides opportunities to make substantial income and in a variety of different ways. And it typically doesn't involve higher level mathematics. :ROFLMAO:

It's people like you who give Differential Equations a bad name... along with Numerical Methods, Finite Elements, etc. 😁
 
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Uscg1984

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That $2-300K debt burden is brutal on a young lawyer trying to get started and possibly start a family.
Agreed. Hence my caveat "if done smartly," which means avoiding that level of debt altogether.
 

Tngamecock

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My first thought is that the extra fees might be used, in part, to pay the salaries of certain fellow "students" recruited for sportsball. Will athletes be required to pay the new fee as well?
Yes, they will….then their scholarship will cover it…..so no.

They will need to pay a fee to the science and math students for bringing up the school gpa
 

Tngamecock

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"enhance the student experience across multiple USC sporting venues."

I love how the universities use this language to justify making you pay more. The only "enhancement" any of us care about are more wins, but I doubt that's what they are talking about.
they meant students whose parents owned luxury suites
 

Piscis

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Agreed. Hence my caveat "if done smartly," which means avoiding that level of debt altogether.
Yeah, my brother in law went to St. Johns Law School and racked up about $200K in student debt. He said he got caught up in wanting a prestigious name on his diploma. He interviewed for some jobs in NYC that looked like they paid well until he found out how much it costs to live up there. He is almost 50 and is still paying on that debt.

He is an attorney in Atlanta and says the UGA Law grads he deals with are every bit as good as he is, some are better, and they don't have near the debt he has if they have any.
 
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Dabo's Weenie

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Yeah, my brother in law went to St. Johns Law School and racked up about $200K in student debt. He said he got caught up in wanting a prestigious name on his diploma. He interviewed for some jobs in NYC that looked like they paid well until he found out how much it costs to live up there. He is almost 50 and is still paying on that debt.

He is an attorney in Atlanta and says the UGA Law grads he deals with are every bit as good as he is, some are better, and they don't have near the debt he has if they have any.

Most degreed professionals know the real education in your field begins once you graduate.
 
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