NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — On Monday (Oct.31), the University of New Orleans held its first of three town-hall meetings discussing the possibility of adding athletic teams, auxiliary groups, and a stadium, to the school.
The only problem the students are having with it is that they will be the ones to pay for some of it. One student disagrees because UNO is not that type of school.
“Most of the students here at UNO, this is not a football school. Most of them came here because there isn’t football, not despite,” said Phoenix McIntosh, UNO Student.
The university’s athletic department thinks differently and says the programs will enhance the student experience and make the university more attractive for anyone looking to attend.
“We’ve wrapped up athletics, marching band, women’s soccer, women’s golf, some money for diversity programs, retention programs, student and intramural clubs,” said Tim Duncan, VP of Athletics and Recreation.
If the proposal is passed, part-time students will pay an additional $300 per semester while full-time students will pay an extra $400.
“The main problem is that they want us to pay for the football team with our own money and there’s not a guarantee that it will help enrollment,” said McIntosh.
Duncan ensures that the increase will benefit all students.
“What I like to tell people is the best thing and the worst thing about our campus is it’s quiet and it’s sleepy and that provides a great environment for some students to find themselves and study and that also frustrates many other students when everyone leaves on the weekend and you’re from Illinois and you go to school here, and you’re in the dorm and no family, there’s not a lot to do,” said Duncan.