MISSOULA – University of Montana students roundly rejected a proposed $52 annual increase in athletics fees to raise money to make improvements to the school’s athletics facilities and to build a new art annex.
Students voted 764 for and 1,442 against increasing the athletics fee from $92 a year to $144, which is what students at Montana State are paying.
The University of Montana student government approved the 56 percent fee increase on April 14. Sen. Patrick Rhea appealed the decision to an independent review committee, which found the Associated Students of the University of Montana overstepped its authority in approving the fee increase. ASUM then scheduled a special election.
ASUM vice president Emily May says there’s a good chance the issue will be raised again in the fall.