KU Student Senate votes to eliminate athletics fee

The University of Kansas Student Senate has voted to eliminate a student fee that supports women’s and non-revenue sports.

Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little has the authority to reject the Wednesday’s vote on the nearly 35-year-old fee.

The fee costs students $25 each semester. Students have been paying the fee since the late 1970s to help the university comply with Title IX, which requires universities to support women’s sports.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports student senate leaders say Kansas Athletics Inc. has enough revenue to support women’s sports without a subsidy from students. The fee raised $1.1 million last year, when the athletics department’s had a total of $93.7 million in revenue.

Gray-Little has refused to comment on whether she would veto or uphold the student senate’s vote.

This story was originally published March 13, 2014 at 6:56 AM with the headline "KU Student Senate votes to eliminate athletics fee."