UNC-P seeks funds to hit gridiron

Even with the NCAA basketball tournament dominating headlines in college sports, it is football that has captured the interests of students and faculty at UNC-Pembroke.

“I’m certainly in support of the football program,” said Allen Meadors, the university’s chancellor. “We’ve been looking into it for a long time, since before I came here.”

The Division II university ended its first football program in 1951. It plans to field a team for the 2007 season, but the financial aspects of the proposal are under heavy scrutiny by UNC-system officials.

And the program still needs approval from the system’s Board of Governors.

Board members debated Thursday the possibility of having a football team at UNC-P and the effect it wold have on students’ tuition. The university’s proposed plan would increase undergraduate athletic fees by $70 per semester.

Unable to come to an agreement, the board postponed a decision until its next meeting in May.

Craig Souza, BOG vice chairman, said the board’s decision was delayed because of a lack of information.

“Legitimate questions were asked,” he said. “We need more time.”

The board rarely moves forward without all members in agreement.

“I am not able to say what will happen at the next meeting — that is why there is a next meeting,” Souza said.

Several BOG members said they were reluctant to involve themselves too deeply in the school’s athletic policy.

“I think it would be a serious mistake for us to second-guess those campuses in their decisions in what they need for athletics,” said Jim Phillips, chairman of the board’s Budget and Finance Committee, during Thursday’s meeting.

John Haskins, assistant athletic director at UNC-P, said he and many others think a football team is a necessary new component of the school.

“I think most everyone is excited about it at Pembroke,” he said. “It will increase alumni support and has found a lot of support from the community.”

Karen Garcia, a freshman at UNC-P, said she is excited about the new football program.

“I wouldn’t mind paying the extra $70 a semester because I think the program would be really good,” Garcia said. “Football would probably get more students at the school, and the campus will grow.

“We need something to do on the weekends.”

Meadors says he hopes UNC-P can get past the financial red tape and kick off the new program.

“We can stay right on schedule if they approve it at the next meeting,” Meadors said. “I have no concerns at all. It is something we just need to get moving.”

“The community is extremely excited about it, some say the most excited it has been in the last 40 years.”

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.