Sacramento State students face the chill of administrative spending this October.

Months after the approval of four fee increases, the announcement of a proposed new stadium has sparked conversations about how money should be spent.

Sac State students have voiced worries over the potential new stadium, along with complaints about decaying infrastructure and department funding.

Mia Collette Brady, a senior computer science major, said she felt frustrated with the way money has been publicly moved around. She said that the CS department is struggling with a huge influx of students and departing faculty because of inadequate funding.

“I was so mad,” Brady said about the stadium announcement. “We could fix that with the money instead of buying more stadium seats.”

The proposed multi use stadium was announced Sept. 26 and though questions still remain about the fiscal impact of its potential construction, only the Intercollegiate Athletics fee would be going towards the stadium.

“It’s a temporary structure, it’s time for us to create a permanent stadium.” Sac State President Luke Wood said in an on-air interview on Oct. 28, 2023. “We’re doing something big, and we’re gonna be building something Sacramento can be proud of.”

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Mariana Garcia, a second year biology major, said the new stadium announcement only worsened the relationship between students and administration. He said he feels that Sac State is not respecting the general student body with these decisions.

“Low income families can’t afford that,” Garcia said. “This new stadium is just implying that they’re prioritizing athletes over the student body.”

Mars Ruiz, a senior psychology major, utilizes the sports centers and equipment in Yosemite Hall, but said they do not see any improvements in the way money is being spent for athletics.

“The workout room we’re using right now sucks; it’s old,” Ruiz said. “Just because we’re not athletes doesn’t mean we can’t have proper equipment.”

RELATED: BREAKING: Sac State President Luke Wood announces 4 of 5 student fee increases approved

Garcia said he is concerned about his ability to afford the increased fees on top of rising tuition costs. The fees will add $508 total over the span of three years, on top of a yearly 6% tuition hike over the next five years starting this semester.

“Some of us barely get by. I could have been using that money to pay rent,” Garcia said. “$500 does not seem like a lot to people, but that changes how much I spend a month for food.”

Garcia and Ruiz are both employed by the campus and receive financial aid, but with the ongoing FAFSA issues and rising tuition, these students say they are at risk for greater financial struggles.

Students said they were concerned about how these fees could make Sac State less accessible for low-income and disabled students.

Mabel Annexia, a fourth-year deaf studies major, said she was dissatisfied with the communication between campus administration and students over finances. Annexia said that Sac State needs to focus on making the campus more accessible to students with disabilities.

“It feels like these fee increases really just don’t feel as equitable to our students,” Annexia said.

According to the California State University website, all public buildings constructed by CSUs, including Sac State, are accessible to people with disabilities. Despite this, some students said they feel that some of the campus is still inaccessible.

“Many of our buildings have not become wheelchair accessible,” Annexia said. “I am very worried about the state of our campus right now.”

Annexia said her concern stems from reports of internal budget cuts and stretched program funding. Annexia and Garcia both said they feel that the older buildings on campus are in dire need of repairs.

Ruiz, a third-generation Sac State student, said that these repairs are long overdue. They said that their grandmother remembers the original bathrooms in Capistrano Hall saying that they haven’t changed.

Ruiz, who works on campus, said budget cuts are also making their work life harder.

“We’re getting cut money,” Ruiz said. “Now I have to rethink how to structure things, so that we can function adequately. It’s super frustrating.”

Despite the increased funding from higher fees and tuition, students say they still don’t see that money coming in to help them.

“Our campus services have been stretched super thin, and to learn that our money is going to another stadium, I feel, is an insult to our work as students,” Annexia said. “This money could be much better spent.”