San Jose State's Academic Senate has voted to limit funding for sports teams and has recommended the school withdraw from Division I-A and the Western Athletic Conference.

The 21-11 vote, conducted by secret ballot Monday, was intended to send a message to incoming president Paul Yu that academics should come ahead of football in tight budget times.

The Academic Senate _ a group of faculty, students, staff and administrators that advises the president _ proposed that savings from athletics funding be transferred to academic programs

"We're not opposed to football per se, but Division I-A has costs we can't afford," said James Brent, the political science professor who pushed for withdrawal.

The senate vote is only symbolic _ presidents have ignored faculty recommendations on athletic funding in the past.

But Brent said he hopes the vote will "counter what the president will hear from a group of very loud boosters who don't have the best interests of the university as a whole at heart."

The Academic Senate also voted to have the entire faculty vote on the question of withdrawal from Division I-A and the WAC in a referendum.

Monday's vote is the first formal faculty recommendation to emerge from a yearlong debate over athletics funding. It comes as the university's budget tightens and the football program struggles to fill seats and win games.

Yu, who was picked as the new president Tuesday, warned last week against taking hasty action over athletics funding and pointed out the benefits of intercollegiate athletics.