Letter to the Editor: Athletics should receive budget cuts
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Opinions
At a recent Student Senate meeting, Student Senate's Vice President Isaac Robinson began a discussion about what should and should not be cut when it comes time to finally deal with this budget crisis that has been (luckily) put off for another year or two (no one seems to know when exactly this will finally come and bite us). I believe I was one of the first to speak up, with a response that seemed only common sense - cut the entire athletics department before cutting anything having to do with academics. We are a university after all, not a sports club (and then a university) like our big bad neighbors to the south. I realize my suggestion seemed a bit radical, and unsurprisingly was met with some fierce critics going after a "spirit" argument. But why? Why is it so awful to put all of our academic careers ahead of the sporting ventures of a few?
Many people seem to believe that sports is an appendage of the University, just as an arm is to us, and severing it from our larger body would be devastating. I would argue that the academic schools are the true appendages of our body and athletics is more like the Mountain Dew we buy from Sodexo, a bit too expensive but nice to have. Well now we are in a time where we need to scrounge around for every penny we have, so what will it be? Cutting out the Mountain Dews every day (athletics), or chopping off fingers (professors, staff)? Is it really too radical to suggest we keep our professors before our football team?
While support for my view was little to none during the meeting, afterward many students expressed their support. I wasn't surprised, just disappointed. Stand up for your academic career, it's not a horrible thing to do, just hard. In particular, I had a discussion with one member of the body who brought up a great point: why should football, soccer, basketball, etc. players get scholarships to a university before other students who engage in activities that they enjoy? Sports was chosen more than a hundred years ago as "the" thing to do, and its been that way ever since, but that doesn't mean that is how it has to be. Why can't the students who fight for human rights and promote environmental consciousness get scholarships? How about the members of the variety of service organizations? Hey, why not the writers of the Index and other members of the Truman Media Network? Isn't a scholarship meant to be an investment in the future of a student? So then why are we investing in the future of athletes? I can't seem to recall any major players in the NBA, NFL, MLB, etc., coming from Truman State University (there may be some, but don't get me started on ratios of athletes here to those who "made it"). How many students engaging in activities that apply to the career they are working toward actually go in to that field? I bet a lot more than athletes. But alas, giving scholarships to athletes over other students just makes sense. Keeping athletics at the expense of academics just makes sense. Maybe to you, but not me.
My point is this: just because something has been a part of the University for years does not make it vital, especially during a budget crisis. Athletics is here, but I am not ready to see my favorite professors and staff get cut because of it, are you? Truman is already down to the bare minimum of services that are provided because we are such a cheap school to go to, so any budget tightening will mean making tougher decisions. However, that decision isn't tough for me: cut the Mountain Dew and put the money we do have to some food for thought. The budget will be an important issue within the next couple of years, and I hope everyone is clued in to what is going on, so pay attention and engage in this discussion, for your own sake, as well as for Truman State University.
These are my personal views and not the views of any organization I am a part of (which I do without getting scholarships for being involved).
Daniel Heagney, senior voting member of Student Senate
Many people seem to believe that sports is an appendage of the University, just as an arm is to us, and severing it from our larger body would be devastating. I would argue that the academic schools are the true appendages of our body and athletics is more like the Mountain Dew we buy from Sodexo, a bit too expensive but nice to have. Well now we are in a time where we need to scrounge around for every penny we have, so what will it be? Cutting out the Mountain Dews every day (athletics), or chopping off fingers (professors, staff)? Is it really too radical to suggest we keep our professors before our football team?
While support for my view was little to none during the meeting, afterward many students expressed their support. I wasn't surprised, just disappointed. Stand up for your academic career, it's not a horrible thing to do, just hard. In particular, I had a discussion with one member of the body who brought up a great point: why should football, soccer, basketball, etc. players get scholarships to a university before other students who engage in activities that they enjoy? Sports was chosen more than a hundred years ago as "the" thing to do, and its been that way ever since, but that doesn't mean that is how it has to be. Why can't the students who fight for human rights and promote environmental consciousness get scholarships? How about the members of the variety of service organizations? Hey, why not the writers of the Index and other members of the Truman Media Network? Isn't a scholarship meant to be an investment in the future of a student? So then why are we investing in the future of athletes? I can't seem to recall any major players in the NBA, NFL, MLB, etc., coming from Truman State University (there may be some, but don't get me started on ratios of athletes here to those who "made it"). How many students engaging in activities that apply to the career they are working toward actually go in to that field? I bet a lot more than athletes. But alas, giving scholarships to athletes over other students just makes sense. Keeping athletics at the expense of academics just makes sense. Maybe to you, but not me.
My point is this: just because something has been a part of the University for years does not make it vital, especially during a budget crisis. Athletics is here, but I am not ready to see my favorite professors and staff get cut because of it, are you? Truman is already down to the bare minimum of services that are provided because we are such a cheap school to go to, so any budget tightening will mean making tougher decisions. However, that decision isn't tough for me: cut the Mountain Dew and put the money we do have to some food for thought. The budget will be an important issue within the next couple of years, and I hope everyone is clued in to what is going on, so pay attention and engage in this discussion, for your own sake, as well as for Truman State University.
These are my personal views and not the views of any organization I am a part of (which I do without getting scholarships for being involved).
Daniel Heagney, senior voting member of Student Senate
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 8
A. William Steinbeck
posted 11/19/09 @ 7:18 AM CST
I am very glad to see that someone else is willing to prioritize academics at one of the smartest schools in Missouri, a university which touts itself as the Harvard of the Midwest, over athletics. (Continued…)
Jonny Athlete
posted 11/19/09 @ 9:57 AM CST
Cuts to the athletic department are something that has to be considered along with other things at the university in times of financial difficulty, but realize how many students are brought to the university by the various athletic programs that are offered. (Continued…)
Very upset
posted 11/19/09 @ 9:34 PM CST
Mr. Heagney,
What would you propose for the students who directly use athletics as hands-on experience for their major? For example, athletic training students spend all their time with sports teams and greatly benefit from this experience. (Continued…)
Devil's Advocate
posted 11/23/09 @ 3:01 PM CST
I believe the point is that cuts need to be uniform; if one area of the school will see cut backs so should the others with respect to student interest. (Continued…)
Well Rounded
posted 12/03/09 @ 5:32 PM CST
I am a former member of Truman's women's swim team and I found your letter especially derisive. Several sports at Truman barely receive enough funding to support a single full ride scholarship, much less new gear, equipment, or facilities. (Continued…)
Chris
posted 12/06/09 @ 3:00 PM CST
Truman is one of the top producers of Academic All-Americans. Female atheletes have the highest cumulative GPA on campus. Cutting athletics would result in a significant loss in students. (Continued…)
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