Tuesday, March 13. 2001
The University Daily Kansan
---
Section A • Page 5
Letters to the editor
Cutting the men's tennis and swimming and diving teams
It's easy to criticize decision from afar
I'm glad Ted Frederickson is a journalism professor. It's one way to be sure he won't make any decisions about Kansas athletics. While teaching accurate and objective journalism, Frederickson has taken the inappropriate behavior of a few football players and unfairly applied it to the whole team ("Football team deserves less, not more funds," Friday). From this, he decides that the program's budget should be reduced or cut entirely. This would defeat athletics at Kansas.
Only two sports have a realistic chance to make much money: football and basketball. But there are only so many tickets to sell and only so many games to play. By filling Allen Fieldhouse 15 times a year, basketball has reached its potential.
Football has plenty more tickets to sell. There are a lot of reasons why the stadium is usually half empty on game days. A large population of fair-weather fans plays a big part. The team was ranked in the Top 10 in 1995, and the stadium still wasn't full. People usually won't watch a losing team just because the stadium is nice.
But if people won't watch a winning team, it's possible the stadium has something to do with it. Building luxury boxes so rich donors can sip cocktails is fine with me. For supplying a third of the Athletics Department's budget, they should be able to drink in the stands, the parking lot or anywhere. Their donations are keeping athletics afloat.
Those of us who go to football games should remember one thing when watching the MegaVision replays of Kansas State touchdowns. K-State was one of the worst programs in college football. By investing in the future of the football program and ignoring people such as Frederickson, they have built themselves into one of the elite programs in the nation with an athletics budget not much bigger than the University's.
Their successful football program has helped fund the rest of their athletics, even allowing them to comply with Title IX rules by adding programs, not cutting them. I think it's safe to say the student-athletes in K-State's new equestrian program don't complain about spending money on football
Nonrevenue sports could not exist without football. No matter how successful it is, basketball can not possibly make as much money as a winning football team. It wouldn't take a dominant football program to start bring in a lot of money. An invitation to a bowl game, which doesn't take more than a winning season, can bring in more than a million dollars. Combine that with TV contracts, and there is a lot of money to be made.
Developing a winning football team takes a big commitment. It starts with improving facilities where the football team plays, trains and practices. Better facilities help recruiting, and better players lead to more successful teams. These types of improvements benefit more than just the football team. Upgrading our weight room to the level of most other Big 12 teams would make the football team more competitive, and other athletes would be able to share the improved facilities.
Granted, the department could have managed its financial situation better. Cutting two programs with devoted, hardworking student-athletes could have been avoided. But the football team should not have had inadequate facilities and underpaid coaches for so long, either. In the end, the Kansas University Athletic Corporation is just that — a corporation. Money drives most decisions in college athletics, and that won't change soon.
So what can we do? If you want to call yourself a KU fan, act like one. Support the Jayhawks in every sport — men or women, win or lose, rain or shine. And if you want to be a journalism professor, start acting like one. Don't pretend you're an economist, athletics director, football coach or the chancellor's political advisor. And make sure someone else in the school teaches objectivity.
Josh Henningsen
Des Moines, Iowa, junior
Title IX requirements unfair to men's sports
The University of Kansas' male tennis players and swimmers feel cheated. I know. I arrived at the university in 1991 as a refugee after Trinity University dropped Division I tennis.
Now the "big-time" athletic program that gave me a tennis refuge has made refugees of another generation of athletes.
The budget-driven cuts of men's tennis and men's swimming can be examined from two sides The cuts blindside the athletes. For everyone else, the issue behind the cuts — the contortion of gender equality — needs to be addressed.
You don't forget the day your program is axed.
It's as if someone you've been trying to help
sneaks up from behind, unprovoked and swiftly takes you out at the knees. It's an intentional injury that you know you didn't deserve.
The bitter feelings associated with having a program dropped tend to get publicity, so I won't belabor this point. Athletes Department financial considerations (or mismanagement) may have truly left Bob Frederick no choice but to cut the programs. But the University should at least acknowledge that it broke a promise to provide its recruits an opportunity to compete in their sport. In return, the University should take responsibility by helping athletes transfer and compete elsewhere. Coaches should make calls, transfer application fees should be reimbursed, assistance relating to the transferability of course credits should be provided, and a reasonable number of university transcripts should be provided for free. Additionally, the University owes these athletes something that costs nothing; a public apology
Second, the contortion of gender equity cannot be ignored. It is a peculiar version of "gender equity" in which male tennis players and swimmers get the chopping block while female athletes continue to compete. The federal statute barring gender discrimination is Title IX. It merits reinterpretation (or amendment) by school officials, courts and Congress.
Title IX's relevant language is that "injo person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in ... any educational program." Next year, if you are male, you cannot compete in the University's tennis or swimming programs; if you are female, you can. Sounds like a violation of Title IX, doesn't it? Nope. In fact, the disparity is mandated by the way Title IX has been construed. Why? Football. Nonrevenue sports get unequal, gender-based treatment in order to compensate for football funding and scholarships.
But by trying to compensate for football's gender inequality, gender inequality is simply compounded in other places. There's no balance — just a multiplication of inequalities. There is no women's football, and there is no men's tennis.
The inequality multiplication this week resulted in the deflation of athletes and the demise of onceproud programs. The University owes its men's tennis players and swimmers a respectful exit. In the long term, we need to acknowledge that it is only a Pyrrhic quality that is achieved by applying Title IX in that type of inequality.
Brad Bernthal KU alumnus
University of Colorado third-year law student
Competition, cuts just a part of the game
The KU men's tennis team and swimming and diving team have learned a lesson that they have certainly taught to many others: Sometimes you just lose. Many other athletes who tried just as hard and wanted to win scholarships or at least playing time on Division I teams felt the sting of defeat at the hands of those who did make the cut.
The effect that we have just witnessed is the answering of the primary question that individuals, firms, and policymakers have always had to answer: Given that resources are finite, to what should those resources be allocated? Our university has decided that some facilities and money should go to maintaining athletic teams (that is to say opposed to just using resources for academics). The existence of those teams benefits two groups: (1) the competitors and (2) those who gain pleasure from watching the competition or tracking the teams. In rare cases, those who enjoy watching the activities are even willing to pay enough for that pleasure that the activity produces revenue and increases the resources available.
the activities. The whole process is a competition.
Is it fair that hardworking, dedicated tennis players and swimmers were denied the opportunity to compete simply because they were not as talented as those who did make it? The answer is that it was. That is the nature of having a limited number of spots on teams. These teams lost out to other sports that were essentially more qualified. Those teams were more popular, were less expensive, fulfilled the University's Title IX obligations or are still funded for a combination of reasons. Although it is unfortunate that the University could no longer afford those teams, it is no more unfortunate that the University does not fund men's soccer, wrestling, or women's football. It is no more unfortunate than that the University does not fund more academic scholarships, need-based scholarships, or academic competitions. And it is no more unfortunate than the University being unable to give scholarships and team membership to the other athletes who every year do their best and (like these teams) just come up short.
Not every potential activity can be funded, nor can every potential competitor be given access to
the activities. The whole process is a competition. I certainly sympathize with the tennis players and swimmers who will no longer be able to compete. They expected not only to compete but in many cases to use their athletic prowess to fund their education. That their plans have been so abruptly interrupted is terrible. With this decision, some good people were hurt, but that is what college athletics is about. Some win; others lose. It is rarely compassionate, but I cannot feel differently about this new group of students who are in the same boat as many of the rest of us.
James Godwin
Topeka junior
Other programs have saved minor sports
I am an All-American swimmer and 1989 graduate of the University of Oklahoma. I coached at Norman High School for eight years after graduation and went to almost every football game, basketball game and wrestling match from the time I was a freshman until I left Oklahoma. As a coach at USCI, I still supported Oklahoma sports until they dropped the swimming program. Since that day, I have not set foot in Oklahoma and turn off any programs connected to the state. I still have contact with the team I competed with but not the athletic department or alumni association.
Swimming gave me the opportunity to be the first from my family to go to a University and go places and experience things I would have never been able to experience. I will be bitter with Oklahoma my entire life for making a decision, such as you are doing, with no real justification.
I have now been coaching at the University of California, Irvine for 21 years. We went through some very tough times about 10 years ago and were looking to drop some sports, including swimming. We ended up dropping baseball and making our men's track team a nscholarship sport. The swimming program was cut to a budget of $40,000 per year with all of its scholarships, travel funds and equipment paid for by private donations. Just five years ago, our student body voted in a referendum to build a new recreation facility with a recreation pool and competition pool. We now have one of the best facilities on the West Coast. The next year, the students voted to fully fund scholarships for all existing sports (I have been raising about two men's and two women's scholarships per year) and to add baseball, women's water polo, women's golf and women's indoor track. Our athletics director, Dan Guerrero, was instrumental in getting this done, though no one else thought it was possible. I commend him on his vision and leadership rather than relying on short-term, short-sighted decisions.
There are ways to get through the hard times without cutting sports. When the good times come again, and they will, the sports are still in place and can be expanded. A broad base of swimming programs, including Kansas, the Big 12 Conference, and all universities in the United States, helped produce the success we had at the Olympics just last year. Please rethink your decision and look for another solution. I will be more than happy to help in any way I can.
Charlie Scoober swimming coach and aquatics director University of California, Irvine
settling teams destroys athletes' dreams
It is shocking and devastating that my alma mater will no longer provide the experience I had while I was a diver at the University of Kansas.
When I was on the team, diving was always seen as just another event in the swim meet, but regard less of the men's or women's program. we worked as a solid unit. We pushed and supported each other, and it made a difference in our careers, athletically as well as professionally. I was lucky that nothing like this happened when I was in school but it gives me a sense of urgency.
There has got to be something or someone somewhere who can do something and stop this from happening. Many programs have gotten in danger of deletion and come up with feasible options. I never would have wanted to follow my dream and train for the Olympic Trials if my sport was cut. I know I am a female, and only the male teams are in question, but I am speaking from my heart; this is not right, regardless of whether it's the men's or women's programs. The history of the University will be changed forever, and the lives of so many people will be affected.
Please do something to stop this.
Michelle Rojahn
KU alumna
NCAA Hall of Fame member
alternate for 2000 Olympics
NEA critics may eat words
I don't like funding the International Monetary Fund's neoliberal fantasyland, making the world safe for sweatshops and globetrotting conglomerates. I don't like funding corporate welfare or the White House's new office for faith-based charities. I don't like paying for the military to bomb Iraq every time Saddam Hussein looks crosseyed at Colin Powell, and as long as I'm on the subject of national defense, I think plenty of private militias out in Montana could do a much better job than the Pentagon
If John McCool and Ben Mohr want to take advantage of their president to get rid of the National Endowment for the Arts, good for them and the rest of conservative, pseudo-democratic America. Just remember that what goes around comes around.
John Albin Lincoln, Neb., sophomore
Senators not padding resumes
Student Senate elections are next month, and there are a few items that need to be cleared up from the article, "Silly campaign tactics merit reforming Senate," written by Robert Chamberlain (March 5). As a current fine arts senator and a candidate for the seat again, I was greatly disturbed by the misrepresentation of Senate in this article. I wish Mr. Chamberlain would have checked his facts before he made publicized generalizations about senators.
We are senators because we care about the issues facing the University and our constituents. We are not "building our resumes." We spend many hours researching and debating issues affecting everyone in the University. The meeting last week lasted nearly five hours. We were there for so long because we cared, not because we were "building our resumes." Also, the Senate book of Rules and Regulations, Article III, Section 1 requires attendance at Senate meetings, committee meetings and office hours. If senators are not fulfill their responsibilities, they are removed from their positions.
I hope this clears up any misunderstandings. Senate is a group of hardworking, dedicated individuals who are trying to serve our constituents to the best of our ability.
Ashley Peterson
Smith Center freshman
fine arts senator
Ban on gays' blood justified
Last year, the Red Cross's policy of not allowing gay men to donate blood came under fire during an annual campus blood drives. Again this semester, the Kansan gave the policy a failing grade in its Report Card feature (March 1). The issue was framed as one of unfair discrimination
This is the wrong way to address the controversy. A director of the Food and Drug Administration Office of Blood Research and Review, Jay Epstein, has said, "The safety of the blood supply ... must be our No.1 priority. This is a public health issue, not a social policy issue."
Safety is an issue because every year the tests to detect HIV in donated blood fail around 10 times — allowing 10 units of infected blood to enter the blood supply. Granted, that's a great percentage out of the 12 million units of blood donated annually. The fact remains that two or three people every year are infected with HIV through transfusions, says Michael Busch of the University of California, San Francisco. That's two or three people essentially condemned to die prematurely.
So what does this have to do with homosexuals? According to the Centers for Disease Control, at the end of 1988 between 300,000 and 900,000 people in the United States were living with HIV or AIDS. Out of
a U.S. population of about 281 million, that is about 0.3 percent. But the government estimates that about 8 percent of gay men have HIV. The difference in rates is clear.
This means that allowing gay men to donate blood would result in more HIV-infected blood being donated and slipping through the safety net. It is estimated that the two proposed rules changes allowing gays to donate would result in 1.7 or 6 (depending on which is adopted) more units of HIV-infected blood sneaking through every year. That's an increase of 17 or 60 percent.
The Red Cross needs general, simple rules to apply when determining the risk of a potential blood donor having the HIV virus as it collects those 12 million units of blood each year. The prohibition on homosexuals donating is a quick yet effective way it can protect the blood supply.
The Kansan tried to compare the Red Cross policy to discriminating against left-handed people. The crucial difference is that left-handed people are not 20 times more likely to have HIV than the general population. This is not a civil-rights or discrimination issue. No rejected potential donor loses anything. But it is a matter of life-and-death to the patients receiving the blood transfusions. Until such time as screening tests for HIV become perfect or the HIV rate among homosexuals approaches that of the general population, the Red Cross is justified in not accepting donations from gay men. Indeed, its commitment to saving lives demands such a policy.
Joseph Pull Colfax, N.D., sophomore
Christianity respects women
I would like to comment about Sheri Martin's column in the March 1 Kansan ("Christianity fails to stay relevant in modern times").
First of all, let me say that to millions of people around the globe, Christianity as taught in the Bible is highly relevant in their lives today.
More specifically, I would like to address a few of Martin's points: First, it is true that Christianity rejected the worship of goddesses. However, this does not come out of some misogynistic bent; it is due simply to Christianity being a monotheistic religion. The Bible teaches that there is one God and that we must not worship anything else, either masculine or feminine. Therefore, all pantheistic religions are ruled out, whether they in involve gods, goddesses or little green men.
Second, the position of women in The Bible is not one of repression. In fact, the Bible portrays women as national leaders (Deborah) and saviors of the Jews (Esther), as self-sufficient caractereaters of the household, as persons worthy of respect and love and even as inheritors of their fathers' wealth.
In particular, Jesus interacted with women regularly and always treated them with respect. He elevated their rights regarding divorce, encouraged them to learn instead of always doing housework and even saved a woman from being stoned to death. These actions were radical in his culture and might even be in ours.
Third, nowhere in the Bible is sex described as "dirty." Certain expressions of our sexuality are prohibited, but this is out of God's desire that we get the most joy possible out of our lives, not from a statement that sex is somehow fundamentally bad.
Finally, nowhere in the Bible is Eve blamed for mankind's sin. The blame falls squarely on Adam, the prototype man.
I would suggest that before Ms. Martin rejects Christianity, she study its book at bit more carefully and see what it really has to say.
Lawrence graduate student
Questions about majors at KU?
Talk to KU faculty, students, and advisors about potential academic majors and careers. Register for the opportunity to win a KU Basketball autographed by Roy Williams.
MAJORS FAIR
Wednesday, March 14, 2001 Kansas Union Ballroom 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
For more information contact the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center at 864-2834 or stop by our office at 126 Strong Hall. You may also visit our website at www.ukans.edu/~advising.
PERSONAL HEALTH CARE FOR WOMEN CONFIDENTIAL ABORTION SERVICES
- Complete GYN Care
- Pregnancy Testing
- Depo Provera & Norplant
- Tubal Ligation
- Abortion / Tubal Ligation (1 procedure)
- Licensed Physicians/Caring Staff
- Modern State Licensed Facility
PROVIDING QUALITY HEALTH CARE TO WOMEN SINCE 1974
Insurance plans accepted.
COMPREHENSIVE health for women
4401 W. 109th (I-435 & Roe) Overland Park, KS
345-1400
OUTSIDE KC AREA
1-800-277-1918
TOLL FREE
Hollywood Theaters
SOUTHWIND 12 3433 IOWA
832 0880
BARGAIN MATINEES INDICATED BY ( )
STADIUM SEATING • ALL DIGITAL
Fri-Sunfelt Daily
1 Sweet November*$^{**}$ (1:30) 4:20) 7:15 10:00
2 Finding Forrester*$^{**}$ (1:15) 4:15) 7:10 10:05
3 3000 Miles to Graceland*$^{**}$ (1:35) 4:20) 7:25 10:05
4 Hannibal*$^{**}$ (1:35) 4:55) 7:00) 9:50
5 15 Minutes*$^{**}$ (1:25) 4:25) 7:15) 9:55
6 The Mexican*$^{**}$ (1:10) 4:10) 7:35) 9:55
7 Get Over It*$^{**}$ (2:00) 4:55) 7:40) 10:00
8 Take Down To Earth*$^{**}$ (1:20) 4:55) 7:45) 9:45
9 See Spot Run*$^{**}$ (1:45) 4:55) 7:25) 9:45
10 Brother Where Art Thou*$^{**}$ (1:30) 4:55) 7:40) 9:50
11 Reenses: School's Out*$^{**}$ (1:40) 4:30) 7:00) 9:30
also...The Wedding Planner*$^{**}$ (1:30) 4:55) 7:00) 9:30
12 Traffic*$^{**}$ (1:00) 4:55) 7:00) 9:30
PLAZA 6
23:39 IOWA
14:60 8600
Set & Sun Daily
1 Cast Away*$^{**}$ (1:50) 4:40) 8:00
2 Save The Last Dance*$^{**}$ (1:50) 4:35) 7:55) 9:35
3 13 Days*$^{**}$ (1:45) 4:40) 8:00
4 Snatch*$^{**}$ (2:00) 4:55) 7:10) 9:40
5 Saving Silverman*$^{**}$ (2:00) 4:55) 7:15) 9:45
6 Chocolate*$^{**}$ (1:45) 4:30) 7:00) 9:30
* NO VIP RIDE • PASSES • SUBWAY CARDS
NAVY MARSHAL SUPER HEAVEN
THEATER MUSIC GROUP
Photo ID required for R movies