Page 4 University Daily Kansan, May 1, 1981 I Opinion Burdensome financial mess threatens athletics at KU It's been fashionable to criticize intercollegiate athletics these days. DAVID LEWIS Editor To be sure, numerous problems plague sports programs across the country, including KU's. Athletes are being shoved through four years of eligibility, and often their educations are being lost hopelessly in the shuffle. And everyone has heard some juicy stories about athletes receiving illegal gifts such as homes, trust funds, stereos, cars, money, truss jobs clothes. Such abuses are clearly newsworthy, but they represent only the symptoms of a serious disease. Sometimes the media have been criticized for abusing and ignoring the more important issues. The recruiting violations, the illegally altered transcripts and the win-at-all-cost attitudes can be traced to one main source—money. The vicious cycle we call intercollegiate athletics begins with finances. Everyone knows a winning program is usually a financially successful one. And in most cases, a financially successful program must resort to inducements to attract the better players. Intercollegiate athletics today manipulates athletes and proffesits academics. And the university of Michigan is a leader in this area. If a successful program is to remain successful, its athletes must remain eligible. And more often than not, if athletes are to remain academic, academic standards must suffer. In January, the Kansan began an investigation into the state of athletics at the University of Kansas. We did not concentrate on specific alleged recruiting abuses. Instead we wanted to tell the readers "why" such abuses occurred. Until this week, when the Kansan ran an athletic series focusing on finances, student-athletes and academics, no area newspaper attempted to diagnose our athletic problems. In the past, the Kansan—and other newspapers—have investigated KU athletics, only trying to uncover recruiting violations. If these cases could be found, the stories were killed. Such attitudes by the press are unfair to the athletic department and to the readers. Simply pinpointing such abuses isn't going to solve our athletic problems; it's only going to make athletic officials and coaches more covert. Finances are the root of our academic and recruiting abuses. Because KU alumni contribute a big chunk of the scholarship they object to have a say on and off the bleachers. Alumni often provide players with illegal inducements during and after the athletes' recruitment. Yet unless 400 officials want to enroll, all of the players are going to continue to abuse the system. The bottom line, once again, is money. The series also examined the problems of being a student-athlete. All athletes are isolated in common living quarters—the Jayhawker Towers. The Towers are hardy but hardly give athletes the opportunity to explore other facets of University life. The Kansan also found examples of grade changes, including the really good athletes—Walter and his team. Yet as inflation rolls on, the KU athletic budget continues to dig itself into a deeper and deeper hole. In fact, the KU Athletic Corporation voted Tuesday night to recommend a $3 raise in student fees next fall. If the Board of Regents approved the request, funds are derived from $1.50 to $4.00 for non-revenue sports. The Athletic Corporation has tightened its financial belt but significant deficits remain. The corporation also has pledge to revise its budget and the funding of intercollegiate athletics. That certainly won't be easy. Intercollege athletics cannot survive if finances continue to worsen and abuses continue to multiply at their present rates. Yet there may be few, if any, solutions. Some have suggested that non-revenue sports should switch to the club sports approach—no athletic scholarships and no massive travel budgets. For now, such a proposal seems drastic, but there are no pleasant alternatives to the athletic budget dilemma. As a member of the KU Athletic Corporation said, "We've been on a collision course with bankruptcy for quite some time." As each day passes, the collision draws nearer. American verve, spirit undaunted The outcome of the presidential elections last year was a turning point for America. The avalanche of votes for Ronald Reagan was not only a condemnation of the weak leadership and big government of Jimmy Carter, but it was also an attempt to restore national pride. I wonder, however, if the turning is in the right direction, if any lessons have been learned. Richard Nixon, by his disgrace, appeared to set America on a downhill slide in 1974. That was also the year that the "energy crisis" hit. Jimmy Ford did dare to hit the slide, Jimmy Carter did. It is hard to imagine the shore as the tide of events swept past him. I is a shame that his two major successes—bringing Israel and Egypt together and securing the return of the hostages—should have been so overshadowed by pre-election rhetoric about a nuclear, spiraling inflation and the hostage crisis. Strangely, many Americans felt that the United States had not done anything. They felt that the world was looking in disbelief. Faculty unionization suffers setback During the past several weeks, the possibility of a faculty union at the University of Kansas has raised its head, looked around, and without incident, has faded away. The union hopes to snare faculty dissatisfied with poor relations between faculty, students and administration; weak university gover- nance is most importantly, small increases in faculty salaries. Faded away for the time being, at least. According to the Kansas National Education Association, the union is merely burying its time, because it does not have a dissatisfied faculty at the University of Kansas. To interest not only KU, but the four other Regents schools without unions, KNEA, the American Federation of Teachers and the American Association of University Professors gave presentations to faculty presidents at last week's Board of Regents meeting. The faculty presidents, however, were unimpressed with the collective bargaining groups' presentations, and gave the unions a no confidence vote. The priorities of the unions were priority of the Regents faculties, it seems. George Worth, KU's chairman of the Faculty CYNTHIA CURRIE Senate executive committee, has said that becoming part of KNEA wouldn't bring about the higher salaries—the primary reason behind much of the faculty support. "If faculty here or anywhere think that organizing with the KNEA for purposes of collective bargaining is going to result in dramatic economic benefits, they are in a dream," Worth has said. "I think our colleagues have been misled to believe that the way out of the economic problems of the '80s is unionization." And it's not strange they do; more and more teachers are taking to the picket line to negotiate salaries that are far below that of professionals, engineers in engineering, architecture and business. But faculty at the Regents schools, and at KU, are satisfied that they will be successful in enabling the goals they want—including the ability to work without the aid of KNEA or any other union group. KANSAN The University Daily (USPS 699-640) Published at the University of Kansas daily August through May and Thursday during June and July except Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Second-class postage paid at Lawrence, Kansas on Sundays and holidays and on weekends; third-class postage or $25 year outside the county. Student subscriptions are $2 a semester, paid through the student activity fee. Postmaster: Send changes of address to the University Daily Kansas, Flint Hall. The University of Kansas. And for the time being, that decision is a wise one. When Pittsburg State University, the only Neglegs school with a union, decided to join, was because the university did not have a strong university governance system. The other benefit of unionization that Pittsburg hoped for, increased faculty salaries, has not happened through Pittsburg's association with KNEA. Editor David Lewis David Lewis Managing Editor Ellen Lamado Editorial Editor Dan Murray AV Director Bob Schaud Campus Editor Scott Pauli Associate Campus Editor Gene Myers Assistant Campus Editors Ray Formanek, Susan Schoenmaker Assigned Role Kevin Koehler Sports Editor Kevin Bertle Assigned Sport Editor Tracee Hamilton Entertainment Editor Shawn McKay Assistant Entertainment Editor Retail Sales Manager Larry Leibengood National Sales Manager Barb Light Campaign Sales Manager Kay MacNeal Production Manager Kevin Koster Classifieds Manager Annette Corrado Tournament Manager Jane Wendroth Staff Artist Rock Budley Staff Photographer John Hankamer Retail Sales Representatives Juliette Beeler, Talicia Berry, Judy Caldwell, Salia Cowden, Bill Groom, Domna Hench, Ann Hornberger, Marc Jacobs, Taurine Kuehren Tournament Manager John Hankamer Business Manager Terri Fry General Manager and News Advisor ... Rick Munser Kanan Adviser ... Chuck Chowtain Unsigned editors represent the opinion of the Kanman staff. Signed columnists include the opinions on *no nonsense*, *no unnecessary response*, and not excess. 800 words. They should include the author's name, address, and website in the letter. They should include the writer's class and humour or incitacy or position. The Kanman reserves the right to call writers for publication. They can deliver personally or mailed to the Kanman newsroom. 112 Fruit Hall. at the unthinkable spectacle of America—superpower of the Western world—being held for ransom by the lunatic ayatollah and his ratbag henchmen. 'Why can't we go in there and blast them sky high?' they cried. To these people, national honor was put above human life. On the contrary, many nations applauded the way It seems that right now faculty collective bargaining unions would not benefit the Regents institutions that do not already have them. In the case of Pittsburg, the faculty needed to be brought together, and the union was the mechanism by which to do that. At KU, however, the faculty governance is strong and the relationships between the administration and faculty have not disintegrated to a point where the two groups cannot work together. The decision to ignore the unions' overtures was the right decision. As of now, KU could only be hurt by a faculty union. If a union were to come to KU, the faculty would undeniably be harmed by the administration would oppose it and an agreement between faculty and administration would result. If chancellor-designate Gene Bidug is successful in Kansas as he was in West Virginia, I won't have a need for a union. Bidug will have with his faculty was said to have been favorable to our tradition continues, KU should continue communication between faculty and administration. As of yet, the faculty do not know what may happen in the next few years to their salaries. He is now a new chancellor, who increased salaries in 2013 and University there he was the former chancellor. For the time being, the University faculty has made a wise decision. Delaying action on a faculty collective bargaining union of any kind is the right move for a university in transition, one with an governance system and open communication between the administration, faculty and students. PETER SOMERVILLE KU doesn't need a union now, but, as KNEA has said, the time may come when the union is the most appealing, and most workable way, to benefit faculty and students at the University. When that time comes, however, the University will be ready. President Carter negotiated the hostages' release, working through international channels of law and the United Nations. The world is surely tired of America blasting its way anywhere after Vietnam. Now El Salvador and American business interests, it seems, are more important than social reform, more important than human worth. President Reagan hardy projects an aura of strength or confidence in the world's most powerful office. But he was the father figure many Americans needed so desperately. He embroiled the spirit of John Wayne, that legendary hero who is represented the epitome of the American Dream. One parting word of advice, if it's appropriate from the pen of a foreigner: Stop looking for heroes! Be yourselves! The "greatness" of America isn't to be found in John Wayne stereotypes or cyny gatherings on the steps of a state capitan in an "I Love America" crusade. Patriotism isn't formed from hearing a choir clad in red, blue and white polyester singing "America the Beautiful" or ticker tape parades down the concrete canvons of New York City. At last, I believe, concerned Americans are realizing that for America to be able to "walk tall" again, it does not require holding up legends of the past as examples of all that's good in the American Way. Nor does it necessarily require a display of military strength, and it certainly does not at the expense of education, the arts and social welfare. Greatness is surely the quality of life and the character of a people—something that everyone can be involved in. If only the American people would stop thinking that their country has somehow fallen from "greatness" (whatever that may mean) and be content to let this nation take its place in the world community of nations. From Guadeloupe to Greenland, from Tasmania to Tonga, the world knows that this country is a leader in technological research, in fashion, the arts and space travel, in democratic reform and personal liberties. Why this enormous guilt feeling? Why always a striving to be not just better but to be the best? So much outside criticism of America, I believe, stems from this love-hate relationship with a couple still trying to 'prove' itself—a mixture of residue and admiration with jealousy and ridicule. The United States, as a world power with vast agricultural, industrial, and economic resources, must play a leading role in aiding the underdeveloped nations of the world. That cannot happen if America becomes a belligerent and bellicose giant, concerned more with parochial issues than with other complex world. When you consider that 12 to 35 percent of the food grown in North America ends up in the garbage, it doesn't give much hope that attitudes are chanelling very quickly. Unfortunately, what much of the world sees of America and the American people is seen through the eyes of Hollywood. How representative of American society is that? The vision of American society and the media generally is one of extremes, of stereotypes, of the bizarre and of falsehoods. It would be tempting to say that America has had it too good for too long. But that is hardly a fair criticism. What other people blessed with a history of stable government, economic success and land flowing with milk and honey would do otherwise? But we're into the last 20 years of the world's population consume 28 percent of the world's energy. The future for America holds both peril and promise. You are a nation that historically has opted for fulfilled promise. But that fulfillment can no longer be a simple national goal. Rather, it must be an expression of lives in a rapidly shrinking and interdependent world. And in that spirit, I wish you good fortune. But change they must. In the next 20 years, even the world's underdeveloped nations are likely to unravel the nuclear mysteries, giving military cloint to destroy what they cannot have. Pot Shots A number of people have expressed the deepest conviction that Pot Shots are worthless. Not so, twits, I say to them. You overlook the golden opportunity for character analysis that they offer, one that is found nowhere else in the paper. I don't mean the words of the Pot Shots. Who reads the words on this page anyway? I mean the signatures. Any rank amateur should be able to tell at a dance that his darkest suspicions about the kicker are on. Mick Jagger says he's got the Time on his side Must be nice. Would that I did, too. Somehow, though, time always seems to be somewhere else, on someone else's side, moving right along with hardy in my direction. I am standing at the foot of a road, 10:50 or some other absurd appointed hour. And Routine handwriting analysis discloses that we have a closet nymphomaniphanica, a toenail biter, a neweater, someone whose favorite hobby is playing computer games. A small group of individuals with really strange attributes. If someone had thought to send these signatures to a competent handwriting analyst, we would have been hunted down and shot like mad dogs. But it's probably too late now. We're going to be turned loose for the summer. Fray for society. then for some 10 grueling minutes Time will proceed to lay lentency siege to my life. Suddenly it is there, dropping like a low, fast bait. Suddenly it is backcourt. Suddenly Time is on my side. Surprise. So the race begins. The whistle has blown, the bells have chimed, my date has already arrived. The hour of rendezvous is upon me and once I hear it, the day is over. I am not quite there yet. Late, in other words, again. But after the scurrying and anguish of tardiness, Time makes a discreet exit, gone as quickly as it arrived, gone to someone else's side. Must be nice to know, like Jagger, that it's coming, that Time's on you side. Then again, not that nice; after all, I don't even own a watch.