Iowa State Athletic Director Gene Smith was, in his own words, “very passionate” Tuesday morning asking the Special Student Fees Committee to make good on its promise for funds.

Smith told the committee he would have to cut or even drop some nonrevenue sports if the athletic department does not receive the final $130,000 installment of a $520,000 athletic fee increase.

The $10-per-student allocation passed by the committee in 1995, which makes up the $520,000, was part of a plan to provide emergency assistance to an ISU athletic program in deep trouble.

The original allocation was $5 per student, or about $260,000 a year, in fee money to be given to the athletic department in both the 1995-96 and 1996-97 school years.

Last spring, however, the 1996-97 increase was cut to $2.50 per student, with the remaining $2.50 to be paid during the 1997-98 school year.

The committee is now debating whether $130,000 of next year’s student fees could be better spent on other programs such as Cy-Ride and intramural sports.

At the meeting, Jeff Shoultz, the athletic department’s marketing director, introduced a proposal in response to a proposal by Government of the Student Body President Adam Gold at a previous meeting.

Gold’s proposal offered to give the athletic department $1.25 of the remaining $2.50-per-student commitment in the 1997-98 school year under the following conditions:

* The Cy-Ride Orange Route remains free

* The university builds a bus shelter at the Iowa State Center parking lot

* The athletic department sells single-game student tickets for football and basketball games at one-third of the general admission price

* The athletic department sells combination football and basketball student season tickets at one-fourth of the general admission price

* Faculty members would pay full ticket prices for all events

Shoultz’s proposal included two of Gold’s suggestions:

* A combination ticket including both student season basketball and football tickets, which would offer a 10 percent discount from the combined price of the already discounted football and basketball tickets, allowing students to purchase season tickets for less than 25 percent of a full-priced ticket

* Free admission to volleyball, women’s basketball, wrestling and gymnastics events for any student who presents a student ID and fee card at the door.

The only exception is the Iowa wrestling meet, at which students would be allowed to enter free with their IDs but would be restricted to the balcony because parquet seats are reserved.

Warren Madden, vice president for business and finance, said the university would provide a bus shelter and free Orange Route service in order to reach an agreement on the fees.

He also said he would inform the Faculty Senate of Gold’s proposed increase in faculty tickets.

Shoultz, Gold and Graduate Student Senate President Kevin Ragland agreed to discuss the new proposal later this week.

Nothing has been finalized.

Gold said he wants to fund programs that serve all students, not just the 500 athletes.

“I’m trying to maximize the happiness of 25,000 students,” he said.

Gold questioned the athletic department’s need for $130,000 of student money when the football and men’s basketball programs have brought in $4.1 million in unexpected revenue over the last year.

“Just because there’s good growth, it doesn’t mean everything on the shelves is positioned properly,” Smith said in response. “Intercollegiate athletics was at a very low ebb in history when I got here in July 1993.”

Smith said student-athletes who were attracted to ISU because of superior financial aid were often disappointed by the quality of the athletic programs once they arrived.

“We couldn’t service them. We were lying to them and their parents,” Smith said.

Jon Brackmann, a junior on the men’s golf team, agreed. “I came here not knowing about all the problems we faced,” he said.

Volleyball player Jen Lansink told the committee that the proposed cuts due to budget constraints two years ago caused “absolute panic.” She said student-athletes were scared by the possibility they might lose their scholarships and have to transfer. “People were saying, ‘Oh my gosh! What happens if we get cut?'”

The committee scheduled a meeting for March 31, when members said they hope to reach a final decision and make an allocation recommendation to President Martin Jischke, who must ultimately sign off on the funding plan.

Rab Mukerjea, assistant to the president, said Jischke needs adequate time to consider the proposal. “We need to get done by early April,” he said. He said the deadline would also provide time for rewriting if Jischke did not give his approval.