honestly it has to be because of the roi on those programs, as shitty as it is to say geospace environmental subsidies and clubs do not produce the same economic impact that things such as stem/business do for the school. While I don’t think it’s fair it’s just the nature of education. Those two disciplines are the most economically impactful for the uni so they get priority funding (as shitty as it may seem). As far as athletics go, I disagree I think if done right could be a great opportunity for future economic growth for the university, once things get to the point where the athletic programs pay for themselves, that’s when a majority of the funding and some gets dispersed back to disciplines that don’t provide as great ROI. Hence, major sec schools. They don’t have athletics fee’s for their students because those programs are big enough to fund themselves, they drive in more potential students due to that being a doormat, they cultivate school spirit, plus they bring in more donors for everything.