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Daily 49er

'Legacy' loses in online vote

By Tiffany Rider

Managing Editor

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Published: Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Updated: Monday, March 16, 2009

fee rejected graph

Students voted down the Beach Legacy Referendum.

The Beach Legacy Referendum, a proposal by Cal State Long Beach’s Athletic Department to increase student fees by $95 per semester starting fall 2010, did not pass in the two-day online student vote.

Approximately 18 percent of the student body voted overall.

Of those students, more than 3,898 — approximately 60 percent — voted against the fee.

Although the majority of students opposed the fee, the Beach Legacy's future is unclear.

Under the provisions of Executive Order 1034 — issued by CSU Chancellor Charles Reed in 2008 — CSULB President F. King Alexander can still request that the chancellor implement the Beach Legacy fee.

Before doing this, Alexander would have to consult the fee advisory committee that oversaw the referendum.

Christina Esparza, Associated Students Inc. communications coordinator, said the fee increase would have kept ASI from cutting 8 percent of its budget.

“If the BLR passed … [ASI] budget cuts would not be necessary. The money that student organizations receive from ASI will be affected greatly,” Esparza said.

Vic Cegles, the director of the athletics department, said he wanted to acknowledge those who helped with the BLR campaign.

“First, I’m really proud of the effort from the coaches, student-athletes and staff, they were awesome,” he said before Long Beach State's semifinal game at the Big West Tournament in Anaheim.

“It is unfortunate that a majority of the students who voted were opposed to something that would have benefited our campus as a whole,” Cegles said. “Recreation sports, Greeks, club sports, kinesiology students and other clubs and organizations on campus would have benefited greatly from the BLR if it had passed.”

Wayne Stickney, the development coordinator for the athletics department, said the result of the vote reveals students’ mindsets.

“It shows a lot of people are focused on the here-and-now instead of the future,” he said. Stickney also said that those students who voted “no” most likely saw the $95 fee increase and immediately decided to vote against it.

“It’s sad because we gambled and we lost,” he said.

Stickney said he is hopeful that more students will get involved with athletics after campaigning for the BLR.

“We met with a ton of students and have a finger on the pulse of many,” Stickney said.

Stickney was not present at the announcement of the results in the Senate Chambers on Friday afternoon. “We already knew,” he said, because “someone called someone.”

Cegles said the athletic teams will need to have more fundraising efforts in order maximize their revenue.

If it had passed, the BLR would have added a women's rowing team to satisfy Title IX.

“We’re going to have to find a way to get more women to participate and I’m not sure what that all means,” he said. “There’s no intent on our part to drop any sports and we just hope we can build on what we have and get better.”

Paul Nguyen, president of the Associated Engineering Student Body (AESB), said he was not surprised at the outcome of the vote.

“I figured that people who were uninformed but chose to vote upon receiving the e-mail would vote it down based on the amount of the fee increase alone, and that those informed would vote according to their best judgment — some for, and some against,” Nguyen said.

Before the fee went to a vote, the AESB posted a statement on their website indicating that the majority of its representatives opposed the BLR.

Nguyen said the results show a clear outcome and noted that “the voter participation was remarkably high, at 18 percent of the student body, whereas general elections typically draw about 10 percent of the campus.”

Voting was conducted online through a web-based platform, BigPulse — the same platform used in last spring’s ASI elections. Students received e-mails from Doug Robinson, the vice president of student services, with links to the voting site.

Kati Pessner and Tracy McDannald contributed to this article.

Related story: Online referendum lacked regulation

 

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53 comments

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fiji
Wed Mar 18 2009 13:30
And here's to the hopes that he does, you 3,912 unbelievers...
______________________________________________________________

Unbelievers? really? LOL...

General Grant
Tue Mar 17 2009 18:20
I'm happy to know that it didn't pass. True, we need to look the future. But raising fees won't help anything. The root of the problem is state cuts in education funding, which can be traced back to out-of-control government spending by irresponsible politicians.
your name
Mon Mar 16 2009 13:31
test
Disgruntled Beach Fan
Sat Mar 14 2009 21:05
Call this fee increase a "tax" and this left-wing campus would have voted yes overwhelmingly. $5 a day on starbucks, but $95 a semester is too much? step in and do the right thing, fka.
JR Salazar
Sat Mar 14 2009 19:53
Dr. Alexander, let this be a lesson for you: never put this things to the ovte of the students. If you can implement this on your own power, Nike is your godsend: JUST DO IT.

And here's to the hopes that he does, you 3,912 unbelievers...

CSUN alum
Sat Mar 14 2009 18:46
CSUN alum to "student" We don't really give a squat who your ASI advisor is over here at Northridge. It doesn't matter whose name is on the loser's certificate. You guys almost got played by your administration and your weak student government. What matters most is that your student body eventually woke up and realized they were getting robbed. As if you can actually buy sports trophies that others will respect!!!!
student
Sat Mar 14 2009 18:24
CSUN Alum

Same signature and same boss? pretty sure they are paid by the state, but good try.
Caveness is the advisor for ASI? wrong, but again good try.

my name
Fri Mar 13 2009 23:54
" 'If the BLR passed … budget cuts would not be necessary. The money that student organizations receive from ASI will be affected greatly,' Esparza said."

Then have a referendum to increase funding for student organizations instead of funding for a soccer stadium. You'd get a lot more students supporting the former

M. Bison
Fri Mar 13 2009 22:17
Yes! Yes!
brown and gold
Fri Mar 13 2009 21:14
I'm totally shocked Doug Robinson simply waved away ANY student complaints as "frivolous", whether they were from the 49er or from math majors. As the VP of Student Services, aren't ANY student concerns important? He really tipped his hand on insider trading on the BLR, didn't he? Outrageous, if it didn't exemplify the true nature of this iron fisted rulership--easily attributable to HIS boss, F. King Alexander. An ethics investigation should START here, not end here.
Your name
Fri Mar 13 2009 21:01
Wyxp4, I think the reason this got voted down was because students are tired of being treated as cash cows and the athletics department got way too greedy during a recession. Most of us would like to have sports programs to be proud of, just as we want our academic degrees to be top notch. The other consideration is that this was not well advised from a PR or administration angle. They forgot all about ethics and damage control. Most CSULB students are not here because they are ignorant sheep. The administration had too many fingerprints on this referendum. They bullied the ASI and the SFAC into complete and total submission. The average student already has an ingrained sense of skepticism toward government, especially when it comes to student politics. When our current ASI Senate and executive board remained silent, they sent a loud message; we are more worried about protecting ourselves than standing up for right or wrong. It's my hope that in the upcoming ASI elections, every student who voted to reject the BLR will also vote AGAINST every incumbent and currently serving elected senator seeking higher office. That is the only way we can make representative improvements in our system. Otherwise, we will only get more of the same; politics and administrative ass kissing as usual.
black and gold
Fri Mar 13 2009 20:50
It's safe to say that no matter how much unethical muscle was applied, nothing that involves money and public relations is a slam dunk. The only steps left is for Doug Robinson to start his retaliation campaign against the 49er, eh? Watch your backs.
Wyxp4
Fri Mar 13 2009 20:46
RPKC, you have to actually follow NCAA athletics to fully understand what a quality sports program can do for a university. granted this was not the right time to jack up fees on students because of the economic crisis, but whether you want to admit it or not, a quality athletic program can put a school on the map. imagine if our men's basketball team were to make a deep run in the ncaa tournament. that means extra exposure for the school and essentially free advertising on tv without a single penny coming out of the school's wallet. when a commuter school (sound familiar?) by the name of george mason made the final 4 a couple of years back, alumni donations skyrocketed and so did the school's name outside the state of virginia. a lot of people buy into the myth that college sports are just a distraction, but a well-run athletic program can go a long way toward earning the school a great deal of recognition.
RPKC
Fri Mar 13 2009 20:23
I am so glad that this did not pass. Those athletic students who knew absolutely nothing about the impact of the BLR came knocking on MY door in MY suite at the dorms late that night and tried to argue with ME on why I should have voted yes!? Here are some arguments distinctly I remember:

"You know we are the least funded athletics program in California?", "This will give you back money because the athletics department generates money for the entire campus", "It will raise our schools prestigiousness", and my all time favorite “More people will come to this school because most students like schools with football teams."

Seriously, CSULB the 3rd top Masters School in the western U.S, CSULB sends more students to get their PhD’s then any other masters institution, CSULB is the only cal state to offer a PhD program, and CSULB already has the 2nd highest amount of enrolled students in California (right behind UCLA). Credibility, I believe, is not an issue; our Legacy is not built by our basketball team or football team, but rather it is built on delivering excellent education to all students.

Also, how many college football players ever made an difference in the general society? If people are not coming to CSULB simply because we don't have good sports teams, then there is definitely a bigger problem that needs to be addressed. So much of CSULB is presently concerned about sports that education is second. For instance, my friend tutors athletes at the athletic tutoring center on campus and they have the best computers and resources available to them in order for them to keep their poor GPA's at the minimum to participate in sports, yet they are hardly utilized. Daily49er, if you want a good story investigate the Athletics tutoring center in comparison to any and every other resource available to the average CSULB student and you will be dumbfounded.

I came to CSULB to get a good education that would prepare me for my graduate studies, and I believe it has served me right. How do sports benefit the average student at an institution designed for education? Why should students concerned with education, the primary reason for even having a university, have to pay for the success of athletes if CSULB cant even get the new science building finished and many classes are being canceled for a lack of funding? If a referendum based on student funds is to be designed, then it should be done in order to allocate funds to under funded departments who can't provide professors or courses to their students. In regards to the Athletics Department, all I can say is "Keep your balls to your self."

vineet
Fri Mar 13 2009 19:29
I was against the BLR because of the automatic increases built into it. Hopefully the next time they put a referendum on the ballot, it'll be a straight forward increase without the aggressive escalators.

Great article, by the way. The 49er did a great job of keeping us informed on what was happening at every step along the way.

Your name
Fri Mar 13 2009 19:00
Success! THANKS to everyone who voted NO against this bull.
3912 to 2615 hahahahaha
Fri Mar 13 2009 18:41
BLR voted down by students hahahahahahaha. Justice prevails!
Your name
Fri Mar 13 2009 14:21
I agree totally with pissed in RH, their behavior was off the hook and they should be kicked out. I too had a test early the next morning and it took me almost two hours to get back to sleep. I hope our other athletes aren't this selfish.
pissed in RH
Fri Mar 13 2009 14:18
I want to thank all of the drunken women's water polo team for knocking on everybody's door in the dorms the other night to remind us to vote on the BLR. Because I had a midterm early the next morning, I didn't need to sleep anyway. Besides these inconsiderate athletes reminded me to vote no. They should be suspended or disciplined by the university. I hope this didn't pass only because they tried to steal my educational opportunity with their selfish behavior. If this is what represents our college, we should reconsider the entire department. They sure aren't encouraging students to behave with any sense of decorum.
Fuller Town
Fri Mar 13 2009 12:13
ROFLMAO @ "I endorse the BLR" We're going to piss orange paint on your homo statue again. Better to have a "one trick pony" at Fuller town than to be a "none trick pussy" at The Blech, bitches. At least we bring home national championships in something other than "Cheer and Dance" you little sissies. Your Dustbags are a bunch of little girls; their bats swing them. Your Forty-Noners basketball team (if that's what you really want to call them, LOL) is going to get Be-ach slapped by Pacific toooniiight. At least they'll have the amazing experience of sitting in the bleachers watching F-Town bring it down!!!!
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