Students at San Francisco State failed to approve a fee increase that would have enabled the school to maintain its 16 varsity sports as well as recreational and intramural athletic activities.

In a two-day referendum last week, the students narrowly rejected a $9 per semester per student raise in fees from the current $24. The other three issues, Academic Affairs, Career Center and Student Health Service all passed, but the athletics measure lost by just 233 votes, 4,371 to 4,138.

The money would have made up for $1.4 million in state revenue that will be eliminated next year. Until now, the school's athletic program has been funded half by the students and half by the general fund.

As many as half of the nine women's and seven men's sports programs are facing termination. Also threatened are cuts in staff and aid for a number of the approximately 300 student-athletes now in the program, none of whom is on a full scholarship.