ETSU Football: Yay or Nay?

Beware East Tennessee State students, a 'no' vote on the upcoming football referendum doesn't mean there won't be a hike in student fees.

Today, East Tennessee State faculty and staff held a private forum on the possible addition of football to ETSU's campus should a student referendum pass.

The hot topic at hand, said longtime sports journalist Marky Billson, a former sports correspondent for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette who attended the meeting, were comments made by ETSU Vice President for Administration and Football Steering Committee Chairwoman Dr. Wilsie Bishop.

Bishop suggested to the faculty, according to Billson, that a failure to pass the football referendum by the students may instead prompt the University to increase athletic fees on campus to support scholarships required by Title IX.

If the faculty's vote and enthusiasm is any indication of the decisive student opinion, that may be the course of action by the University within the next year.

According to numbers revealed at the meeting, which averaged an attendance of 40 faculty, students and alumni, ETSU's faculty overwhelmingly voted against the football measure.

Approximately 274 faculty members from thirty different departments voiced their opinions — 217 of which voted against the measure, opposed to 57 in favor of the return of the sport.

The ETSU student football vote is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.