While the prospect of football at UTRGV is an exciting one (not to mention the marching bands), it is hard for me to justify this when so many academic and student-oriented initiatives are needed.
Fine Arts facilities and resources are lacking in both Edinburg and Brownsville. Time and time again, students have appealed to [the Student Government Association] and UTRGV for improvements that will help them learn the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in their post-academic careers. SGA has worked with these student groups to address these issues with administration, but little action has been taken to resolve these long-standing student concerns, albeit for some furniture pieces at the Visual Arts Annex in Edinburg and other small improvements.
Investment is needed for the Student Unions, both of which are too small for a university of our size in 2021. Or, one could look at the library, a resource that helps us all and is being stretched thin as we continue to grow. Or, perhaps, investing in expanding our mental health services would be a better endeavor to promote with mental health concerns among students continuing to rise in the U.S., and UTRGV is no exception.
This is not to say that UTRGV has not had the right priorities at the forefront. During the midst of COVID-19, I saw how much this university did to help students when we needed it most. I would say the plan was one of if not the best in the nation, providing grants and resources to students so that they could succeed despite the massive economic downturn we all experienced in 2020.
Yet, UTRGV has gone out and promoted the [Athletics Fee] Referendum with great enthusiasm, an enthusiasm Fine Arts students, aging facilities and other services have not received. Also, several facts have been missing from the conversation. In 2018-2019, of all 125 Football Championship Subdivision schools (which UTRGV will join), all 125 netted a median loss of $14.3M per school, according to bestcolleges.com. The University of Texas at El Paso, University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of North Texas and Texas State University, all schools that could be compared to UTRGV, covered anywhere from 58% of their expenses to up to 72% with a combination of student fees and other institutional support.
For UTRGV in 2019, we had about $15.8M in athletic expenses, and $16M in “revenue,” according to the College Athletics Financial Information Database. Yet, 88% of that “revenue” came from student fees (54% or $8.6M) and institutional support (34% or $5.4M).
Currently, there is no commitment to host multiple games in Brownsville, and many of the highlighted benefits do not clarify which communities will benefit from potential job creation, since most games will be played at the larger H-E-B Park in Edinburg.
Voting against this referendum does not have to mean you do not want a football team. Voting to bring UTRGV back to the table to address student concerns is fair and should not be discouraged. It is hard to make an informed decision when only one side of the story is being promoted, and even harder when some of those voices are drowned out or removed. While I do see football in UTRGV’s future, now is still not the time.
Go out and vote your choice. Make the best-informed decision for current and future generations at UTRGV.
Carlo Flores
2020-21 SGA Vice President for Brownsville
UTRGV Class of 2020
