The Aberdeen American News editorializes that SDSU's jump to NCAA Division I athletics has been a financial failure for the university. Apparently SDSU is raiding other funds to make up for shortfalls in the athletic budget.
It is true that the university has had some Division I athletic successes, like the SDSU women's basketball team. But some of its teams have struggled. And it was recently reported that SDSU's move up to Division I intercollegiate athletics is costing more than anticipated because of higher expenses for joining the Summit League, the need to hire a compliance officer and - in an athletically related issue - the fact that SDSU must also provide more scholarships in women's sports. But there isn't currently enough money to do so, according to university officials, because the university's fundraising has been focused on paying for the upgrade to Division I. The total of the extra costs is nearly $750,000 more than was planned.
Now, as a memory refresher, the South Dakota Board of Regents had previously mandated that campus officials raise all the money necessary for the switch to Division I from private sources, student activity fees and athletic program revenues.
Apparently that's not happening.
Now the extra money spent on women's scholarships would have to occur anyway. I take the AAN's point to be that that money should be coming from the athletic budget, but since there is no money left in that budget, the university is going elsewhere for that money. Yesterday I noted the resignation of USD's foundation chair, who resigned because of concerns over how much foundation efforts would now be geared toward athletics rather than the general student population. We'll see if the biggest schools in our state regret their jump to Division I athletics.
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