By Shelby Brown–

While the university is pinching pennies, the U of L Athletic Association presented its 2017-18 budget today asking for an eight percent increase in funds.

ULAA proposed a $104 million budget for 2017-18, $8 million more than 2016-17.

Revenue is up by four percent from 2016-17 according to Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director Kevin Miller.

Miller explained the football program makes up 38 percent of the department’s revenue and men’s basketball accounts for 28 percent.

“The biggest increase there is is on the television revenue side,” Miller said.

Marketing of floor seating has also increased revenue.

“We were able to sell more seats this past year and have more commitments in place for the current year,” Miller said.

In April, ULAA outlined plans to build a TV production studio and a soccer practice facility.

Funds in the proposed 2017-18 budget include $800,000 for the studio and $50,000 to leasing the soccer fields.

Prof. Jerry Tolson expressed concerns over the possibility of departmental cuts with the studio construction.

“There’s been no discussion that you need to cutback on your budget or anything like that,” Miller said.

The presentation showed an increase in financial aid for student athlete tuition of 4.4 percent from 2016.

Miller’s presentation also included ULAA’s projected debt services. Miller said savings were created after refinancing PJCS.

Interim President Greg Postel pointed out that donations helped pay for the expansion of PJCS, but aren’t reflected in the debt services.

“It might be helpful to expand out our chart here on debt service and have that inclusive on all sources of donation, even those that are time limited for the expansion,” Postel said. “One thing that we want to make sure that we do is make sure we have this budget line up as understandably as possible with the budget that becomes incorporated with the main U of L budget. I think it would help to tell the story a lot more easily.”

This article will be updated.

Photo by Shelby Brown / The Louisville Cardinal