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UC San Diego Begins Voting On Division I Athletics Proposal

UC San Diego's Director of Athletics Earl Edwards talks with athletic staff after Wednesday's Associated Students Council vote, Jan. 27, 2016.
Matt Hoffman / KPBS
UC San Diego's Director of Athletics Earl Edwards talks with athletic staff after Wednesday's Associated Students Council vote, Jan. 27, 2016.

UC San Diego Begins Voting On Division I Athletics Proposal
This week, students at UC San Diego will vote on whether they want to move the school's athletic program to NCAA Division I.
UC San Diego Begins Voting On Division I Athletics Proposal
UC San Diego Begins Voting On Division I Athletics Proposal GUEST:Matt Hoffman, KPBS News

Starting Monday, students at UC San Diego can vote on a proposal to move its athletic program to NCAA Division I.

Currently, UCSD competes at the Division II level in the California Collegiate Athletic Association conference.

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Online voting was delayed Monday when the university's digital system for voting stopped working, according to UCSD Associated Students President Dominick Suvonnasupa. Students were not able to cast votes in person. Whatever time is lost online will be added on for voting next week.

Similar Division I proposals were rejected by students in 2004 and 2012, but student leaders believe a new generation of students on campus should weigh in.

In January, UCSD's Associated Students Council voted unanimously to put the referendum on the spring ballot.

A "yes" vote would increase student athletic fees by $480 a year. The increase would be phased in over three years.

The increase would give the school enough money for needed scholarships and staff members to move to NCAA Division I.

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If approved, UC San Diego would look for an invitation from the Big West Conference, currently home to four other University of California schools.

A football team would not be part of the transition to Division I.

UC San Diego Proposed Athletic Fee Increase

Year One Year Two Year Three Total
Quarterly Increase $60 $55 $45 $160
Yearly Increase $180 $165 $135 $480
A table showing the quarterly and yearly breakdown of the proposed athletic fee increase. Note — one year is categorized at three quarters.

Corrected: March 18, 2024 at 8:11 PM PDT
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include information on the online voting system's failure.