The decision to go without fans at Iowa State football games by the university’s president is going to lead to some tough budget decisions for the athletic department.
Cyclone Athletic Director Jamie Pollard sent a letter to fans Friday saying he is adjusting the projected budget deficit from 17-and-a-half-million dollars to 30 million.
Pollard says the original estimate was based on having fans for football.
Pollard says the department will have to look at several options to make up the deficit, including more salary cuts and layoffs in the department; possibly eliminating sports; and the closing of C-Y Stephens Auditorium.
Pollard says the athletic department subsidizes Stephens by one million dollars annually and the revenues generated by events there are not enough to cover its operating expenses, or pay for the facility’s deferred maintenance.
