The Eastern Echo received a copy of a 2014 and 2015 athletic budget from an anonymous source inside the Eastern Michigan Student Government.
The budget comes from a commission started by previous Student Government President Steven Cole. The commission is comprised of faculty, union, and students.
The release of the budget comes with interesting timing, following an HBO special about EMU athletics and a day before the Board of Regents meeting.
"College athletics plays a unique and important role at schools across the nation, but all the data demonstrate Eastern spends too much. Whether we compare trends in staff hiring, financial assistance via scholarships, or academic support services aimed at promoting student achievement in the classroom, it is clear that athletics is afforded a standard not available to any other student -- period.