Despite SF State’s reputation as a commuter campus with questionable school spirit, students still want sports on campus and are willing to pay more money to keep the Gators alive.

In the March 14-16 elections, students overwhelmingly passed a referendum to more than double the student athletic fee. As a result, the fee will increase in steps every year until it reaches $60 in the 2008-09 school year.

The unofficial results, which must official be verified by the university, was 4,291 to 933 in favor of raising the fee, according to Katherine Day, referendum supervisor. On March 30, the Student Fee Advisory Committee voted unanimously to certify the unoffical results. The certification and recommendation will be sent to President Robert Corrigan for approval.

"President Corrigan is looking forward to receiving the recommendation of the Student Fee Advisory Committee,” Griffin said. “It is expected that the committee will certify and approve the election results, and that the president will support the fee increase.”

The referendum was placed on the ballot this year at the suggestion of the task force formed to address the future of athletics at SF State. Last year, a proposed athletic fee increase lost by 233 votes out of a total of about 8,500 cast. Because of the narrow margin, the task force, created by President Corrigan, recommended that the referendum be placed on the ballot again this year.

According Michael Simspon, athletic directors, he is appreciative and pleased about the certification.

"The vote is only a recommendation until President Corrigan signs it off," said Simpson. "It's not a done deal."

“I’m very happy that the referendum passed,” said J.E. “Penny” Saffold, vice president of student affairs and dean of students. “(I’m) particularly (pleased) that more than 4,000 students believe athletics has a role to play in university education.”

With the referendum passing, the fee, currently $25 a semester, will gradually increase each school year. The intramural fee, collected as part of the athletic fee, will double from $1 to $2 next year.

Cutbacks in athletics – and the resulting higher fees to maintain threatened programs – can be traced to the ongoing California budget crisis.

"The athletic referendum is not too much to ask for when other schools pay over $200 for athletics," said Giao Le, 28, BECA major. "SF State is too much of a commuter school and sports are a big part of building a community."

"It's exciting that there's an actual future for athletics," said Crystal Hutchinson, 22, member of the Lady Gators basketball team. "There's hope, that's all I got to say."