San Diego State "has put a cost on 'cost of attendance'" -- $2,900 per scholarship per year, according to Mark Zeigler of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. SDSU AD Jim Sterk "provided the estimate in a letter to men’s basketball season-ticket holders this week, informing them seat prices in Viejas Arena will increase next season to help defray the cost." He said that the "expected hit to the athletic budget" is $800,000-1M per year. Sterk "has always said SDSU would provide the additional cost-of-living expenses to its scholarship athletes but until now had not disclosed a dollar figure." He wrote in the letter, "This may seem a daunting task to maintain championship-level funding for our programs. However, SDSU is committed to becoming a national contender on an annual basis. We are focused on generating new revenues and maximizing our current revenue streams." (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/25). Meanwhile, in Eugene, Ryan Thorburn notes Oregon "is looking at a budget increase of roughly $900,900 to cover the full cost of attendance." However, that figure is based on '14-15 numbers the athletic department is looking at because the university "has not yet established tuition and fee rates" for '15-16. UO Senior Associate AD/Marketing & PR Craig Pintens said that football season-ticket prices -- the department’s primary revenue generator -- will not increase in '15 and the new costs "will have to be absorbed elsewhere." The athletic department "also has the added expenses of pay raises" for football coach Mark Helfrich, whose base salary increased from $2M to $3.15M. Pintens said that the process of putting together the '15-16 budget "begins in a few weeks" (Eugene REGISTER-GUARD, 2/24).
