Bid to Shift Funds From Sports Called Inappropriate : CSUN: The athletic director says the proposal to funnel money to academics is counter to public opinion.

Cal State Northridge Athletic Director Bob Hiegert said Friday that he believes the Faculty Senate’s request to shift funds from athletics to educational programs is inappropriate and contrary to public opinion.

Hiegert was responding to a Faculty Senate vote Thursday to ask the CSUN Foundation to hold a public hearing to reconsider its decision to grant $4.4 million to campus athletics over 10 years from revenues that the nonprofit organization receives from operating the college bookstore and food services.

“Every cent we’ve been funded we’ve gone through the proper channels,” Hiegert said. “There was considerable discussion and research done by the foundation before that decision was made.”

The foundation contributed $210,000 to the athletic department in the 1989-90 school year, the first year it supplied such funding. Allocations increased to $369,000 last year and will increase gradually to $500,000 in 1993-94 and remain at that level for the last five years of the agreement.

After the Faculty Senate vote, some foundation representatives said they favor holding a public hearing on the faculty proposal, but the foundation board of trustees has not considered the request.

Hiegert said he welcomes a hearing. “It will show what people think,” he said. “It will let the senate get a good sense of why it was passed. It is a much fairer approach.”

The battle between athletics and the Faculty Senate is longstanding. Many faculty members disagreed with the university’s 1988 decision to upgrade its athletic program from Division II to Division I. CSUN moved to the higher level in 1990-91.

If the foundation does withdraw the commitment, Hiegert said he does not know how the athletic program will offset the loss.

“Our budget is based on a 10-year projection,” Hiegert said. “We are counting on that money.”

The department, which has a budget of $4 million this year, is working to raise funds to support the higher level of competition and each athletic team makes ends meet with fund-raising activities, he said.

“These are very tough times,” Hiegert said, acknowledging that administrators are considering budget cuts ranging from 3.5% to 9.5% for some programs.