Michael Uribes / The Collegian

Fresno State is the only school in the Western Athletic Conference to charge students for football games, and some students think they’re getting a bad deal.

Chaster Harrison, a Fresno State criminology senior, said, “There are other programs here, like other sporting events that are free, but football is not free. That’s not fair.”

What students like Harrison don’t realize, however, is they are actually paying less for athletics than students at other WAC schools, which charge students not through ticket revenues but through athletics fees.

In a recent article, USA Today ranked WAC schools by student athletics fees. In the ranking, which examined fees from the 2008-09 fiscal year, Fresno State ranked fourth lowest in athletics fees charged to students. Since those statistics were compiled, Fresno State has dropped to third lowest in athletics fees.

At the lowest end of the student spectrum is Louisiana Tech, which doesn’t charge students fees for athletics. However, like every WAC school besides Fresno State, Louisiana Tech provides free football tickets to students.

Hawaii was tied with Louisiana Tech for fees charged in the 2008-09 fiscal year, but in a decision announced this July, Hawaii will begin charging students in 2011 $100 a year for athletics fees. This change has bumped Hawaii up to second lowest in the WAC for fees charged.

Fresno State comes in at $39 per semester, part of the $62 IRA fee and $34.50 student body fee students pay each semester. Each year, students at Fresno State pay a total of $78 for athletics.

The highest student athletics fee in the WAC is at the University of Idaho, which charges an average of $180 per student each year.

At Boise State, home of the WAC‘s most successful football program, students pay an average of $150 a year in athletics fees. Boise’s football team is currently ranked No. 4 nationally in the BCS and AP standings.

Each Fresno State student can purchase a football ticket for $15 per game.

Paul Oliaro, vice president for student affairs at Fresno State, said that the price of student football tickets is not going to increase any time soon.

“A couple of years ago, the athletics department said they would not increase the price of tickets for students, at least for the next couple of years,” Oliaro said.

He added that except for football, students have free admission to all Fresno State games.

“Students now have access to all other sports with no charge. That includes men’s basketball tickets as well as women’s basketball tickets and tickets to other events.”

Associate athletics director Paul Ladwig offered insight as to why Fresno State charges for football tickets. “[Football is] a revenue source for the athletic department. The student fee covers the rest of the sports. There’s a correlation between the revenue stream via the student ticket price and the student fee.”