DETAILS ON THE APPROVED STUDENT FEE
The Arizona Board of Regents voted to approve the University's budget submission for the 2017-18 school year last Thursday and a part of that was the implementation of a student fee for athletics. The fee, which will go into effect for the 2017-18 academic year, is intended to support athletics programs, facilities and the improvement of the student and fan experience at our venues. During the four-year phase-in period, which includes only incoming graduate and undergraduate students, the fee is expected to produce approximately $800,000 in the first year, $1.6 million in the second, $2.4 million in the third, and then $3.2 million per year moving forward.
The expected revenue produced by the student fee, along with a generous, private $5 million donation, will make it possible for athletics to borrow approximately $75 million to get started on some, but not all, of our various infrastructure projects. Once we've finalized the list of projects to be addressed initially, we'll share that information publicly, but those details are still being determined.
The fee is $100 per year for incoming undergraduate students, while returning undergraduate students will not be subject to the fee. Incoming undergraduate students, who will pay the fee, will receive free admission to all ticketed sporting events other than football and men's basketball. They, along with returning undergraduate students, will need to purchase the appropriate ZonaZoo membership for access to football and men's basketball games.
Incoming graduate students will have the choice to pay a $50 yearly fee as they can opt out. Incoming graduate students that choose to pay the fee will receive free admission to all sporting events other than men's basketball. They will need to purchase a new, graduate-student-only ZonaZoo 'White' pass in order to have access to men's basketball games. Returning graduate students who opt out of the fee will need to purchase the appropriate ZonaZoo membership for access to ticketed sporting events.
We want to thank everyone who was involved in this process from student leadership to the Board of Regents. We had a number of productive conversations with key stakeholders over the last year, and by working together, we were able to land on a reasonable outcome. This will certainly benefit our student-athletes and those attending our events as we strive to continue to be a point of pride for our University, students, alumni and the Tucson community.
For a complete listing of student athletic fee details, click HERE.
CANDREA TO BE INDUCTED INTO SOFTBALL HALL OF FAME
Just a couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Mike Candrea's 1,500th victory at Arizona and now he's earned another honor. USA Softball announced on Monday that Mike will be inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame in October for meritorious service. On top of everything he's done at Arizona, including eight National Championships to go along with the 1,500+ wins, Mike had a stellar career as Team USA manager. He led the Americans to the Olympic gold medal in 2004 and the silver medal in '08 as well as Pan American Games gold medals in 2003 and '07.
Congratulations on this much-deserved honor. We're so fortunate to have you leading our program and we couldn't be prouder of how you've represented Arizona throughout your career.
SELMAN-RICHARDS TABBED GIANT STEPS AWARD WINNER
Soccer's Lexe Selman-Richards was recognized earlier this week for overcoming a number of obstacles during her career with the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) Giant Steps Award. Giant Steps Awards are presented to individuals on the national level in the categories of courageous student-athlete, coach, barrier breaker, a hero among us, and civic leader and Lexe earned the 'Courageous Student-Athlete' award.
Prior to Lexe's freshman year, she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Not only was her playing career in jeopardy, but so was her life. Fortunately, she battled through, beat the disease, and was able to prosper at Arizona both athletically and academically. She played in all 41 matches of her freshman and sophomore year before another hurdle was placed in front of her.
During the opening match of her junior campaign, she tore her ACL and was forced to miss the season. But, as expected, she rehabilitated and returned to play her senior campaign.
Overall, Lexe appeared in 61 matches, while earning Pac-12 Academic honors three times. She is expected to graduate with a 3.85 GPA and plans on pursuing a career as a physician's assistant following graduation.
Great job and congratulations, Lexe.
#AZROADTOUR17 COMING TO THE VALLEY
The spring tradition of the Arizona Road Tour will continue when we come to the Valley next month. We want encourage all of our donors, fans and alumni to join us on Wednesday, May 3 at Culinary Dropout/The Yard in Tempe. The event will open at 5:30 p.m. and a program featuring Sean Miller, Rich Rodriguez, and Adia Barnes will begin around 6:30 p.m. I will also be in attendance to address the crowd and hopefully get a chance to meet many of you.
A complimentary buffet will be available while supplies last and there is no charge to attend. To help us get an approximation on a head count, we ask that you RSVP by clicking HERE. We're looking forward to seeing you soon and showing everyone that Phoenix is Wildcat Country.
BASEBALL WELCOMES THE DUCKS TO HI CORBETT
Coach Johnson and our baseball team will be back at Hi Corbett this week after getting a series win on the road against Washington State this past weekend. We're hosting Oregon in a 3-game series beginning tomorrow, April 13 at 7 p.m. and again on Friday at 7 p.m. The final game of the series is Saturday, April 15 and will now start at noon instead of the previously scheduled 1 p.m. first pitch. Be sure to arrive early on Saturday, as the first 500 fans to attend will receive an Easter egg with a prize inside. For tickets or more information, call (520) 621-CATS (M-F, 9-5 p.m.) or click HERE.
COMPLIANCE CORNER
As we approach the end of the semester, a large number of our student-athletes take advantage of the additional time to seek employment opportunities in Tucson. While employment is permissible year round, the summer tends to be the time when student-athletes have more time to explore jobs and internships in Tucson and around the country. A student-athlete may earn money for the actual job they are hired to perform, and must be paid the normal going rate for that job.
If you would like to hire a student-athlete, please don't hesitate to contact the compliance office if you have any questions. The summer provides an excellent opportunity for student-athletes to improve their resumes and get great experience.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
To view the list of upcoming events, broadcast information, start times and stat links, click HERE. (Note: All times are listed as Mountain Standard Time, i.e. Tucson time.)
To access live stats from your desktop or mobile device, visit ArizonaLiveStats.com.
WEAR THE COLORS – SHARE THE PHOTOS
Thank you for wearing the colors and sharing your Arizona pride! If your photo submission did not make this week's edition of the Wildcat Wednesday, please check our "Wildcat Wednesday" album at facebook.com/ArizonaAthletics.
NOTE: Please submit photos for Wildcat Wednesday with an original email to uofaad@arizona.edu using the subject line 'Wildcat Wednesday photo.' Also, please ensure all submissions are clear and properly lit. We also ask that you identify everyone in the photo so we can highlight them accordingly.
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