Dwindling attendance and poor-performing teams have “contributed to UNLV’s athletic department facing nearly a $5 million budget shortfall,” according to a front-page piece by Mark Anderson of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. University officials said that the department’s $4.9M deficit is “far greater” than the $3.4M shortfall that was in the budget, “largely because of attendance problems in men’s basketball and football.” Outgoing UNLV AD Tina Kunzer-Murphy said that “other revenue sources also must be found, specifically noting options include reinstating tuition and fee waivers as well as equity adjustments for women’s sports, which brings salaries in line with the going rate.” Kunzer-Murphy in an email wrote, “We will take a hard line on expenses while increasing revenue in areas such as private donors fundraising and ticket sales.” UNLV Senior VP/Finance & Business Gerry Bomotti said that men’s basketball and football received about $1.8M “less than projected because of losses in ticket revenue, which in turn have taken a toll on concessions sales.” Anderson notes UNLV’s “commitment to providing full cost of attendance in scholarships also is responsible for part of the deficit, though the university provides $800,000 in assistance.” The university, however, had provided athletics with $1.2M for its general fund, "but no longer does” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/14).
