UCI Athletes Will Campaign to Increase Scholarship Funds

UC Irvine athletes were asked Thursday night to secure 10 votes each for a May referendum that could raise student fees to increase scholarship funds.

The proposed referendum, which could generate between $625,000 and $1.6 million annually, will be put before the student legislative council’s rules committee Tuesday, with the council to make a decision on it by April 29. If approved, the referendum will be put to a vote during the May 10-13 student elections.

Thursday’s meeting was mandatory for Irvine athletes. The student athlete advisory committee, a five-member panel, mapped out the campaign strategy, which will require each athlete to bring in 10 yes votes.

“We needed the athletes to see the significance of this,” said senior golfer Mike Lawrence, a member of the five-person committee. “We need them to make the rest of the students understand the significance.”

There are about 350 athletes out of about 16,000 students at Irvine.

Students will be presented with three fee hike options, $33, $19 and $12.

The $33 fee will allow Irvine officials to fund every sport, plus add baseball and two women’s sports, water polo and one to be determined later, possibly women’s golf or indoor track. The $19 fee funds every program, with women’s water polo added. The $12 fee funds every program except track and field.