In my limited dealings with Syracuse University since starting this blog, I've come to learn that while the entity as a whole is geared towards one goal, there are many factions within that are basically in competition with one another. That's why sometimes you'll only find a certain piece of merch at the Dome but not at the bookstore or why someone might be on bad terms with one unit and bosom buddies with another.
Keep that in mind when you read this Syracuse.com article about who at SU should be paying for the $7.5M exit fee that we'll have to pay the Big East to leave in July.
The university’s trustees say the cost should be shared by the whole university - every school, every revenue-generating entity such as its office of housing and meal plan, as well as the athletics department.
Wednesday afternoon, at the final University Senate meeting of the year, members of its budget committee recommended that SU's athletics department alone should pay the exit fee.
According to the article, SU has already paid about 20% of the exit fee.
There are a few different trains of thought here and I see both sides. On one hand, athletics brings in a ton of money and will the department with the most to gain from the ACC move, so why shouldn't they shoulder the load? On the other hand, Syracuse's move to the ACC will bring more money in to the university in general and may end up raising the profile of academics/enrollment.
Per the article, the University Senate has no real power here. They're just advising. But there's good reason to think many in the university outside of the athletics department agree with the sentiment. However, it sounds like the folks up top like the shared payment method, so expect that.