4a Opinion Friday, March 16, 2001 For comments, contact Chris Borniger or Nathan Willis at 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com Perspective Decision to cut sports disregards student-athletes Ry now, you've probably heard the litany of arguments against the Athletics Department's decision to cut the men's Department's decision to cut the men's swimming and tennis teams and throw more money at the football team in a far-fetched attempt to make it good someday. They're good arguments, but the Athletics Department's real crime lies not in the decision itself but in how the department made the decision. Forget, for a moment, that most Division I football teams lose money. Forget the silliness of the glass-is-half assumption that throwing money at the football team will magically improve it despite other schools with bigger athletics budgets that are doing the same thing. Forget that the football team's record in the past three decades is 137-189. Forget that in that span, six coaches have arrived, each promising success, each leaving with a record under .500. Forget an already ballooning football budget that has failed to yield success and $25 million worth of stadium improvements that have failed to put fans in the stadium. Forget all that. Let's assume the improbable -- that cutting men's tennis and swimming and investing in the football team will yield some future profit. Was it really necessary to ditch those two teams? Probably not. Bob Frederick, athletics director, and other athletics officials debated for weeks ways to avoid cutting the programs, which makes their ultimate conclusion all the more disturbing. Nathan Willis associate opinion editor nationian@nationan.com "We considered raising money," Frederick said. "We considered playing a game at Arrowhead Stadium. We talked to the chancellor about some other revenue possibilities." So it's not as if they didn't consider options. In the end, they just chose the one that was easiest and the most destructive for students To be fair, Frederick said that asking for donations to support the teams — an option put forth by people protesting the decision last weekend — was ruled out because other schools had tried that and seen their athletic recruiting suffer as a result. Charlie Schober, swimming coach at the University of California-Irvine and a friend of former KU swimming coach Gary Kempf, knows there are ways to save programs. Years ago, his program and others at the school were facing the budgetary ax. He may be right that fund-raising presents a negative image of the department and its programs to recruits, but killing off programs hardly presents a more positive one. In any case, the department had more options available. It just wasn't bold enough to try them. Rather than give up, Irvine's athletics department presented a referendum to the students to fund the school's nonrevenue sports. Students passed it, and now the swimming program and others are still alive. Schober credits his athletics director for the courage to try an uncertain option to save the programs. Frederick dismissed the idea of having student fees pay for the sports, saying the cost would be too large for students. But shouldn't the students decide that? A referendum might pass; it might not. But at least the Athletics Department could say it tried. Our Athletics Department has displayed no such courage. More disturbingly, it has displaced no concern for its student-athletes. That mentality, more than anything, reveals just how far removed from the students the Athletics Department has become. It apparently feels free to jettison entire programs without trying to work with student-athletes to find another solution. The refusal to make an effort on behalf of the students on those two teams casts off whatever remained of the guise that the Athletics Department is here to serve students, not just to make money. Of course, the department needs to support itself, and making money is not in itself a bad goal. But by making it the only goal, the department has flung off a mandate that every institution at the University should carry: to serve students and enhance each student's education. That is the purpose of the University Instead, the department found it far easier just to chop, chop, chop. Why waste time with students who can't rake in truckloads of cash? And that should put all the other athletes in nonrevenue sports on alert. After all, they could be next. Willis is a Sterling senior in journalism. HEY! I THINK I FOUND JUST THE GUYS FOR MY 'ART DECENCY COMMISSION'! Steve Sack/TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES Heard on the Hill How has the economy's slowdown affected you? "I got cut back on hours at work." Anna Abrams St. Louis, Mo., junior "Personally, I'm screwed. Is Bush adding to the instability?" Jason Heck Lawrence senior "It hasn't really." Jason Holm Littleton, Colo., freshman "I don't know." Ki Young Korea freshman Perspective Drunk driver's sentence isn't final chapter in case The family and friends of Felecia Bland got their first taste of justice yesterday. their first taste of justice yesterday Bland, 36, died Sept. 16 on Kansas Highway 10, 15 miles east of Lawrence in Johnson County after a car driven by a drunken 16-year-old, Sean Scott, crossed the grass median and slammed into Bland's vehicle. Bland, who was wearing her seatbelt, died at the scene. Scott, who wasn't wearing a seatbelt and had a blood alcohol level of 15 (nearly twice the legal limit for adults and nearly eight times the legal limit for minors), was ejected from his Chennai Comere and ref. Chevrolet Camaro and suffered only a broken wrist. Scott had come to Lawrence to visit his brother, Mike. Both drank at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house (where, Sean Scott's attorney said, Sean was coerced to take shots of rum) and the Wheel before Sean decided to drive back to Lenexa to see his girl-friend. Understandably, Bland's husband, daughter, parents and siblings (as well as the Chris Borniger opinion editor opinion at kanan.com In sentencing Scott, Sheldon invoked Felecia Bland's name, saying Bland probably wouldn't have wanted the void left by her death compounded by the loss of a young man's potential contributions to society. large group of friends she'd earned) were heartbroken. Here was a woman who committed herself to charitable causes and brightening people's lives, cut down well before her time by a series of stumd mistakes. It didn't make sense. Scott had pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter in the court's juvenile division. After postponing hearings for several weeks, Judge Janethe Sheldon sentenced Scott to 30 months in a juvenile detention center. Bland was a kind soul, but we can't ask her Yesterday, the Johnson County District Court took a small step in ensuring justice was served. what she would have wanted. She's gone forever. I know for certain, however, that her husband and brothers were hoping for a stricter sentence. They were understandably angry but graceful. They felt slighted by a system that seemed to give Scott — whose family owns several Kansas City-area businesses, including Zarda Brothers Dairy and Zarda Bar-BQ — ever consideration. A little less than two months ago, I met Felecia's husband, Jim Bland, and two of her brothers. All three strained to hold back tears as we talked for more than an hour about the case against Scott and Felecia's contributions to the community. Listening to their stories, I had to hold back tears, too. And despite his sentence, Scott will walk away the winner. After all, he could have been charged as an adult, and he could have received a sentence that would have placed him in custody for far more than 30 months. His most significant victory will be when he goes home — because Felecia Bland will never come home. Jim Bland compiled a thick list of letters and stories about Felecia from friends, family and co-workers. I never met Felecia, but it's quite obvious her loss was devastating. I also called for Bland's family to sue "into poverty" the fraternity members who pressured Sean to drink, as well as the employees of the Wheel, who must not have been too discriminating when they let a 16-year-old drink at the bar. In December, I wrote a column calling for Scott to receive the maximum possible sentence. That didn't happen, but several other people share the blame for this tragedy. My opinion stands. More than one person's idiocy and recklessness contributed to an innocent woman's untimely death. I'd advise Bland's family to vigorously pursue civil suits against these fools who helped kill her. Scott's sentencing marks the end only to the first chapter of this sad, sorry saga. There's still a lot left to write. Borniger is a Wichita senior in journalism. Editorial Alcohol tax would benefit University Fifty cents more for a six-pack of beer isn't too much to pay to hold tuition in line. The Kansas Legislature is considering creating funds for education by raising taxes on alcohol and cigarettes. Although local pub owners claim the tax hikes would be too drastic, it would actually be an excellent step in relieving some of the state's education budget woes and preventing further tuition increases. The bill, proposed by Sen. Jim Barnett, R-Emporia, would increase the price of a six-pack of beer about 50 cents and a pack of cigarettes 10 cents. These increases would result in an additional $105 in state aid per public school student — money that state educators sorely need. Barnett also said $1 million of the revenue would go to the Regents universities, $5 million of which would be used to stabilize tuition increases. The need for this extra revenue is apparent, as budget problems have resulted in tuition increases that have greatly exceeded the rate of inflation during the last few years, including two increases last year alone. In contrast, increases in state alcohol taxes have been held well under the rate of inflation because of heavy lobbying by the alcohol industry. In fact, according to the Lawrence Journal-World, the gallon tax on beer in Kansas has remained the same since 1977. In short, Kansas has been due for an alcohol tax increase for many years now. Despite the fact that the proposed tax still would be low with respect to the rate of inflation, two of Lawrence's brew pub owners have actively opposed the bill, claiming it would drive alcohol sales too low for them to stay in business. This is a fairly unlikely scenario. Alcohol sales have risen consistently statewide in the past decade, and Barnett has said that most Kansans express a strong willingness to pay more for their beer if they know the money would go toward education. He also cited a Wall Street Journal survey in which 87 percent of Americans said they would accept a 50 cent increase in the price of a six-pack of beer. With a tax increase on alcohol long overdue and the state's education budget soley in need of more funds, Barnett's proposal is a perfect fit. Andy Marso for the editorial board free for all 864 8508 Free for all callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. The Kansan reserves the right to edit submissions, and not all of them will be published. Standarous statements will not be printed. For more comments, go to www.kansan.com. - I look forward every spring to reading everything that the Kansan sports reporters write about basketball because they have no clue what's going to happen in the NCAA tournament. - JayRock Campus Ministry is cool as far as I'm concerned. But they don't have to ask me a hundred times a week if I want to join. - I just wanted to say that our professor told us in class today that if professors wanted real jobs and real money, they wouldn't be at this University anyway. How do you beat a Roy Williams-coached basketball team? You play them in the second round of the NCAA tournament. 图 I was just wondering if the people so well-educated about AIDS knew that AIDS can't be totally prevented by condoms. - - Yes, I'm a BSU member, and I would like to say Courtney and Natalie, you guys did a great job writing this article and representing us, and I would like to say thank you. Hispanic who call in speaking for everyone in our group should speak for themselves. If the BSU or any other minority group wants better or more coverage of their activities then maybe they should be on the Kansan staff and do it themselves instead of waving their hands in there all semester. Stop crying, and make a difference. - - I'm Black, and I think BSU is wrong. Does that make me a racist? - Maybe we should cut the football team, too, and use the money from the budget money to fix everyone's cars from the potholes that the City of Lawrence refuses to fix. Yeah, I'd just like to say to the person who left the message about the Air Force and the bake sale: I was just wondering where you got your freedom from, hippie. - - For those of you who think that 2 million people live in Oklahoma City, the actual population is 638,539. Just like to say to the campus mastur- bator: I'm glad to see he's back in whacking action. I heard this girl in the Wescoe cafeteria today, and she used the word "like" eight times in a single sentence. - Stander: a false and malicious statement or report that damages the reputation or well being of another. - We're two college males watching TRL and listening to Brian Adams. Should we be looking into that? How to submit letters and quest columns Letters: Should be double-spaced typed and fewer than 200 letters. Words must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and hometown it a university student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions. Guest columns: Should be double-spaced typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photo拍摄 for the column to run. All letters and guest columns should be e-mailed to opinion@kansan.com or submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. The Kanasen reservoirs right to the edit, cut length or reject all submissions. 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