Students Give Varsity Coaches a Raise
By Tara HIggerson

Last year, the University raised the student athletics fee from $98 to $198. And about half of the $100 increase boosted varsity coaches’ salaries in non-revenue sports.

Martina Ballen, senior associate athletics director for firnace, says the increase in the student athletics fee was crucial to maintaining a competitive athletics program, and revenues from football and men’s basketball weren’t enough to support all UNC sports.

“ The operating budget for the sports program has been in the bottom of the third of the Atlantic Coast Conference for a number of years, as well as salaries for our head coaches,” she explained.

Before the fee increase, most of the Carolina coaches’ salaries were comparable to those of N.C. State and the University of Virginia. The biggest disparity was baseball. Baseball head coach Mike Fox was getting about $8,000 less than his UVA counterpart and almost $30,000 less than the N.C. State coach. The softball coaches’ salaries were close, and men’s and women’s tennis and soccer salaries were nearly identical across the three universities.

After the fee increase, salaries increased about 15 percent for Carolina coaches. Now all five head coaches are paid the same or more than their counterparts. The most dramatic difference is soccer. Elmar Bolowich now makes roughly $12,000 more per year than do coaches at N.C. State and Virginia.

UNC has the largest operating budget and more sports teams. UVA students pay more than double UNC’s fees, but UNC students pay double the amount charged at N.C. State.

“We pretty much use that revenue stream from student fees to try to improve our athletics programs -- don’t really use it for coaches salaries,” says David Horning, associate athletics director for N.C. State.

“It’s difficult to fundraise, to go out and ask somebody to give money for coaches’ salaries and help out operating budgets,” Ballen said. “That’s difficult to do,”

So officials turn to students to pay the price.

The bottom line? Even after the student athletics fee increase, UNC students are still getting a good deal—they have the second lowest fee among UNC-system schools.

N.C. State has the lowest fee at $94, and UNC Asheville has the highest – nearly $500 a year per student.

It could be better, but it could be a lot worse.