Enterprise Final

Phil Meyer knows what it is like to operate under a strict budget. In 2003, Meyer saw the completion of his dream house on the northwest side of Oshkosh. These days the UW-Oshkosh head football coach is trying to operate under even more of a crunch, this time imposed by the state.

Reassuring or not, Meyer is not the only head coach within the department of athletics feeling the crunch. However, that doesn’t mean that they are not trying to alleviate the problem.

What you see inside the department is a creative plan to avoid the doldrums of budgetary purgatory.

This plan is encompassed in three components; making small cuts within the budget, increasing fundraising dollars and adopting new forms of revenue while increasing the potential of old revenue forms

According to projected budget figures for 2005-2006 the department’s allocation from the state will be cut by four percent. The department primarily uses this money for staff salaries and benefits.

By tweaking the budget the department has operated under the past two years, Director of Athletics Al Ackerman feels the department can operate business as usual.

“We plan at operating under the same budget as before,” said Ackerman.

The most visible cut teams will see is the elimination of the money once budgeted for new or replacement uniforms. Teams needing to replace uniforms will be forced to do so themselves for the next two years.

With the department operating under a projected budget of $1.55 million for next year, fundraiser dollars will need to be increased to provide assurance that the department can function as it has in the past.

Last year the department raised approximately $400,000 dollars to be used in numerous areas.

The department of athletics receives its budgetary dollars from three sources; state dollars, operating dollars and fundraising.

Ackerman said that there is a plan to raise the money needed. For example, using athletes as quasi telemarketers, the department held a two week phone-a-thon to solicit money from a variety of boosters, including local citizens and businesses.

The athletic department also plans on using third party billing for the use of athletic trainers and their services by athletes to generate additional revenue.

Doing this the department would bill an individual’s insurance carrier for any legitimate bill such as first time evaluations, treatment of open wounds and all rehabilitation time.

According to Ackerman athletes will not encounter any additional costs from this plan.

Finally, Ackerman said that the department plans on raising ticket prices to all Titan home games for next year.

Although, teams within the department fundraise a large portion of the money they spend to operate their respective programs more will be needed to be done as a result of the projected cuts.

In the past month, Meyer has spearheaded a fundraiser with the help of his coaches and players to raise the additional funds for his program. Along with Varsity Gold, Meyer’s troops sold Papa Johns pizza cards for $15 throughout the community.

The results were great according by UWO Head Football Coach Phil Meyer

Still, using athletes to raise money for the program, taking time away from them to train or even study must be counterintuitive. Meyer said his players have responded well to the challenge.

“To put $5,000 in Joe’s memorial, to get travel sweats and be able to travel next year to Platteville and La Crosse, they know it is going back to them,” said Meyer.

With the state continuing to cut, it seems that the athletes can expect to put in more than just practice time in order to compete at the level that they are accustomed to.