The KSU Marching Band is funded primarily through the SGA and the privilege fee, paid entirely by the students of K-State.
Controversy recently arose about the funding of the band.
The current privilege fee allocated for the current fiscal year is $146,057.
The SGA recently proposed slashing the privilege fees given to the band over the next three years. That means the marching band, which consists of more than 300 band members, will not have enough funds to continue to operate at the rate it is now.
The conflict comes from the fact that K-State is one of the few universities in the Big 12 Conference and across the country that uses student fee’s for its marching band.
To make one thing clear: I do not blame the SGA. Rather, I put all blame on the K-State athletic department. Most marching bands across the country are funded largely by their athletic departments.
Rather than providing the adequate money to fund the band, the athletic department has thrown precious money away in the last year like it grows on trees.
Consider that K-State spent $250,000 to buy out of the Fresno State football game scheduled for earlier this year. Forget the fact that the decision was in the opposite direction of coach Ron Prince’s scheduling philosophy when he set foot on campus.
Especially when you take into account that he locked K-State into two-game home and away matchups with BCS schools like Louisville, Auburn, Virginia Tech, UCLA, Oregon and Miami.
It was foolish of the athletic department to allow Prince to schedule eight years down the road - all the way into the 2016 season — especially since he hadn’t proven anything up to that point.
The future coach likely will want to spend more money to buy out of at least some of these games.
The contract extension Prince received this summer increased his buyout from $300,000 to $1.2 million, with a pro-rated longevity payment of $150,000, making the buyout $1.35 million, an overall increase of $1,050,000 that K-State must now pay Prince. Also, the increase in his yearly salary from $760,000 to $1.1 million added on another $340,000 that was wasted on a contract extension that proved to be unwarranted.
Last year, the athletic department wasted $1,640,000 just on these things, with more to likely come with the speculation of buyouts of some future games.
Apparently the athletic department cannot fund the band, though. The money wasted this past year was enough to fund the band for more than 10 years.
Look at other bands. Nebraska brings its entire band to several road games. Oklahoma brings a limited number of its band members to all its games on the road.
K-State can only take its band to the KU game. Sure, money is tight. But the K-State athletic department has not spent its money efficiently.
It is time the administration takes responsibility and funds the marching band just like so many other schools do nationwide.
COLUMN: K-State Athletic Department should fund band
Published: Friday, November 21, 2008
Updated: Friday, November 21, 2008
3 comments
Susan E. (Hill) Williams, Class of '79
This is old news to me. We struggled with this in the 1970s and went door-to-door selling chocolates in an effort to raise money for a host of band functions and trips. The lack of operating funds from appropriate sources and band scholarships speaks volumes about the K-State leadership and how they view 'The Pride of Wildcat Land'. Perhaps it is time for the band to boycott K-state sports for a year - no football, no basketball pep band, no parades, no pep rallies, no Band Day, no recruiting activities - and see what happens to K-State athletics.
-Band Supporter
Yeah that is true that it is somewhat the Athletic Departments fault but don't blame Prince. Also, it was still SGA's fault too, or at least the Privilege Fee Committee. Instead of doing something very drastic like taking away the funding in 3 years they should have had a meeting with the Athletic Department. The two could have discussed plans for the Band's future funding. Instead the Priv. Fee Committee just made a quick decision and didn't even think the process through. If you are going to try to pin the funding on someone else, then you should discuss with them instead of making a quick decision. The Senate can say it wasn't a rash decision but it was. I am just glad the band received their money back. But by no means did the Senate do anything right in this situation. They brought it on themselves.
Your name
Wow, that's an intelligent thought. If only everyone managed to realize that SGA isn't responsible for funding the band.
