Faculty members at San Jose State have voted by nearly a 3-1 ratio to ask the university's president to sharply reduce spending on sports teams and begin the process of withdrawing from Division I-A and the Western Athletic Conference.

The advisory vote can force no action but fuels the campus debate over whether the university can afford to play big-time sports, particularly football, in an era of shrinking state funding.

Those troubled by athletics spending have succeeded in raising the question, but even they do not expect the president to do what the resolution suggests -- dramatically scale back funding within a year and make changes in divisional status -- without further study. The university's interim and past president have been strong supporters of Division I-A football and the prestige it brings the university.

``We essentially are sending a vote to the president that has to be ignored,'' said tax Professor Annette Nellen, who heads the academic senate.

The advisory vote was 310.06 to 113.68 -- part-time faculty are counted fractionally, based on how many hours a week they teach. That is a respectable turnout, said Nellen, who reported the vote Friday. More than 1,600 ballots were distributed.

Political science Professor James Brent, who has led the debate over Division I-A status, called the faculty vote significant. ``It reveals what the collective wisdom of the faculty is,'' he said, adding that leaving Division I-A at least should be ``an option that receives serious consideration.''

The resolution endorsed by the faculty calls on incoming President Paul Yu to reduce spending on sports to 1.8 percent, or less, of the university's annual general fund budget, compared with 3.21 percent a year now. The university now funds close to $6.9 million of the $11.8 million athletics budget.

The measure also recommends the president ``immediately initiate the process of withdrawal from Division I-A and the WAC'' because, it states, a Division I-A program cannot be sustained at the lower funding level.

Earlier this week, the academic senate asked Yu to form a task force to evaluate a full range of athletic programs and divisions to determine the appropriate program for San Jose State. That kind of exploration should fit in well with Yu's desire to launch a broad strategic planning effort, Nellen said.

Visiting the campus before his selection, Yu said that athletics can pose serious concerns academically and financially for universities but also create opportunities. He advocated for a measured, not hasty, response.