4a
Opinion
Friday, March 9, 2001
For comments, contact Chris Borniger or Nathan Willis at 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com
Perspective
Football team deserves less not more funds
In the classic comedic silent film *The*
If the classic comedic silent film *The Freshman*, the protagonist matriculates at Tate College, described as a football stadium with a university attached. The KU Athletics Department seems bent on making that stereotype a reality.
It was no laughing matter when Bob Frederick, athletics director, announced that men's swimming and tennis were being cut, apparently so more money can be wasted on a football program that is a loser on and off the field.
Frederick said he was "broken hearted" about his decision, but hold the tears. He was at the controls — and looking through the periscope — when this submarine suddenly emerged to sink the two teams. Cry for the tennis players and swimmers who were set
swimmers who were set adrift.
Frederick claims he had no choice but to eliminate two men's sports because KU is SO committed to gender equity and can't cut women's teams. Or, less altruistically: Our hands are tied because Title IX (federal law) requires us to spend vast sums on women's games that never get on ESPN. Never mind that expenses are greater for one men's team — football — than for all KU women's sports.
Ted Frederickson guest columnist opinion@kansan.com
the death of these teams is a result of his stewardship of athletics. He masterminded the remodeling of Memorial Stadium, including construction of luxury boxes so rich donors could sip cocktails. He decided to install an expensive toy, the MegaVision, so fans could enjoy replays of Nebraska and K-State touchdowns. He raised ticket prices, never considering that higher prices for an already less-than-popular product could result in fewer fans. Now, he says the solution to a budget spiraling out of control is to spend more on the most costly sport: football.
Men's swimming and tennis programs cost $600,000 a year — a pittance in an athletics budget of more than $23 million. In contrast, football spends more than $4.4 million and is responsible for most of the $2.6 million in debt service and capital outlays. Football takes in only $2.3 million. It is a gross distortion to call football a revenue sport. Football has not paid for its own costs and does not provide a duree for other KU sports. It will always be a deficit sport rather than a revenue sport. Spending still more on football seems as wise as investing in dotcom stocks today on the NASDAQ.
Football has earned its bad reputation not just because teams lost on the field, but also because of player behavior off the field. I have yet to hear of a tennis player who sexually assaulted anyone, or an angry swimmer who busted through the drive-thru window at Taco Bell to retrieve a missing chalupa, or of athletes from either team robbing someone at gunpoint or stealing merchandise from a store
One of my students told me that she and her friends boycotted football games last fall after she read about the coach's lenient treatment of a player accused of groping a female soccer player. Another complained that burly football players regularly cut in line at Mrs. E.'s.
As studentathletes, football players don't seem to perform well on either side of the hyphen. I have had swimmers and tennis players in classes, and they have all been solid students. In contrast, when grade point averages are released for KU's athletic teams each year, the football team is usually at the bottom. Although I have had football players who did well in classes and were fine people, I have had many others who seemed to be majoring only in eligibility and quickly dropped when they learned what work was expected of them.
Football is deserving of less rather than more money. Evidence suggests the money isn't spent wisely. If the Athletics Department is hurting for money, does it make sense to house players in expensive Lawrence hotels the weekend of HOME games — as Coach Terry Allen does? Do players need new T-shirts each week imprinted with Allen's motivational messages?
If football can't cut its bloated spending, the best way the Athletics Department can balance its budget may be to do what the team's offense frequently does: Punt the football.
We don't need football to offer excellent teaching, important research and committed service.
(Question for the chancellor: Is it politically wise for you to sign on a plan to spend millions more on football when you are asking academic units to return $1.6 million this year and $2 million next year?)
Frederickson is a professor of journalism.
DON
TREVOR NBUSQUEDGE DEMIL
John Trever/TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
Heard on the Hill
What should be done to curb the recent trend of school shootings?
"We need to work on communication between family, teachers and law enforcement." Sarah Pellotier Houston freshman
"It all begins with the family structure and home values. Gun control may help, too." Jehren Raney Lawrence senior
"Higher education of counselors in the schools." Matthew Nelson Lawrence senior
"Anger management classes, not just in the inner city but in all the schools." Bryan Mosley Olathe senior
Perspective
Student-focused paper includes good,bad news
It is a rare occurrence that the Kansan becomes part of a story on its own front page. But in light of a protest yesterday, today's issue was one of those rare occurrences.
A group of more than 100 students, most of them African-American, marched silently in a single-file line through the Kansan newsroom yesterday after protesting our coverage on the Big 12 Conference on Black Student Government.
Reporters, designers and editors like myself, most of us Caucasian, watched quietly as they dropped off copies of letters written by student representatives of the Big 12 Conference Planning Committee and copies of Kansan articles with "F" and "unacceptable" written across them.
Student protesters yesterday had also distributed letters on campus, addressed to "The University Community." The letter
This touches upon something all university newspapers must deal with — the fact that student journalists are attempting to cover their peers in an unbiased way. Although we mention successes of students and their events, we also fulfill the purpose of a newspaper: to publish newsworthy information. It is something I require my staff to do on a daily basis. And that will not stop.
said that Kansan staff members "are our peers, and rather than cover the successes of the story in the 'student newspaper,' they talked about newsworthy information."
Lori O'Toole
editor
editor@kansan.com
The Kansan does not have many minorities on staff. That shortage is something we don't like but have tried to solve. Editors recruited members of campus organizations including the Black Student Union — to voice their perspectives in the
Kansan weekly by becoming members of the editorial board or columnists. To our disappointment, no one took our offer. However, it still stands for all students, including those in BSU.
Perhaps if BSU had representatives on our staff they would not feel that the Kansan always portrays them in a negative light, as I heard one member say on Channel 6 news last night. This was especially disappointing considering that only one week ago an African American student told us that our coverage of Black History Month events made him feel like he was on Cloud 9. It was also less than a month ago when a staff member of the Multicultural Resource Center sent us a letter that said, "in the area of multiculturalism and diversity. I think you are doing what's right."
However, it is clear that some of our readers are unhappy with the general attention we are giving them. And that's why last week Mindie Miller, managing editor, and I wrote and distributed a letter to BSU, the Multicultural Resource Center and other campus minority organizations to let them know that we are aware of their discontent. And that's why the Kansan plans to organize focus groups to discuss the issues of diversity in the Kansan and multicultural coverage. It's important to us, and that's why one of only 12 news reporters on staff is devoted entirely to covering multicultural issues.
Kansan staff members always like to hear that we are doing a good job covering students and the campus. But our job is not to make everyone happy. Our job is to be accurate, timely and thorough.
The Kansan supports diversity and wants a good relationship with the African-American community — as well as all other student communities. But the Kansan will continue to print the bad and good and should not apologize for it.
O'Toole is a Wichita senior in journalism and English.
Editorial Team cuts could have been avoided
The Athletics Department could have cut corners elsewhere in its tight budget.
On Sunday, during the Senior Day gala at Allen Fieldhouse, Bob Frederick, athletics director, announced that the men's tennis and men's swimming and diving programs would be discontinued at the start of the 2001-2002 season. But canceling these two sports is unacceptable. There must be another solution.
Frederick cited a tight budget as the main reason for canceling the two sports; the cut would save the department approximately $3.6 million during the next five years, but the department made $4 million in profits in 2000.
Frederick said if athletes in the cut programs wanted to stay at the University of Kansas, they could keep their scholarships. He also said the department would help them find other schools where they could compete. It's unfortunate, however, that the cuts mean that some dedicated athletes must find another home.
The two cut teams rarely made a profit, but the department shares the blame for that. When one looks at the facilities where they train, which they must share with the entire student body, it is a feat in itself that they are willing to compete here at all. Texas A&M, by the way, has a world-class swimming facility, from which the school makes a profit.
The decision is plagued by fuzzy math. Two competitive sports are discontinued and the football team, whose stadium usually features a lot of empty seats, received another $2.3 million for next season. Ironically, the renovations at Memorial Stadium cost about $3.6 million — the amount that the department will save during the next five years from cutting the two teams.
The football team should not be solely to blame for the discontinuation of these sports. However, it is hard to see Frederick's rationale in canceling two competitive programs in the Big 12 Conference only to round and sink millions of dollars into a football program that has a tradition of being a conference doormat.
Neither of the cut teams has consistently attracted more than a handful of spectators. Now, students should go to show some school spirit and support for these two teams as they fade into the sunset.
Justin Henning for the editorial board
free for all 864-0500 864-0500
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. Slanderous statements will not be printed. For more comments, go to www.kansan.com.
-
To that person complaining about Nebraska in the paper the other day: I'm from Nebraska, and at least we're civilized enough to sell beer on Sundays and also to have not outlawed the teaching of evolution and scientific practice.
-
If KU had a contract with Charmin, there wouldn't be any toilet paper because people would be stealing it.
-
Free for All should be renamed Nerd for All because only neds call in.
图
For all you people calling in about getting rid of the football team, if we drop the football team, we're out of the Big 12. Do you not want to play Missouri twice a year, K-State twice a year? What happens to all those traditions that are more important than swimming and tennis?
图
I volunteered for the stage crew for Rock Chalk Revue. It's the most miserable thing I've ever done.
We were just wondering how much the Athletics Department would save if it didn't have to spend money on tutors for the football team. We know that the swimming and diving team and tennis teams don't use them all the time because they're already smart.
图
Guns aren't an enormous problem in this country; crazy people are. Everyone should be on Prozac.
My roommate has a shirt that says "Lawrence, Kansas: A drinking town with a football problem." Given the happenings in the athletic department the past few days, that takes on a whole new meaning.
图
图
I'm sick of everyone complaining about the men's swimming and tennis teams being cut. It's not like you went to the games anyway.
-
I just wanted to say that free legal advice for students was the best idea ever conceived.
I thought it was kind of ironic. I was walking yesterday, and I saw a car with a KU environmentalist sticker on the back. The person inside of it flipped his cigarette out the window and threw his Coke out the window. I thought that was kind of funny.
Why are GTAs complaining about the money? They're not worth what they get paid already.
Thanks for filling up the potholes.
Too bad they're higher than the roads. Now we have speed bumps.
-
Hashinger Hall pancakes rock.
How to submit letters and guest columns
Letters: Should be double-spaced typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and hometown if 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 photographed 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 Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Chris Borniger or Nathan Willis at 864-4924.
If you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4924.
NEWS
Editor ... Lori O'Toole edit@kansan.com or 864-4854
Managing editors ... Mindle Miller editor@kansan.com
News editors ... Matt Daugherty or 864-4854
News editors ... Chris Borniger 864-4854
... Sara Nutt 864-4854
... Amy Randolph 864-4854
... Jason Walker 864-4854
Readers' reps ... Leita Schultes readresp@kansan.com Warisa Chulindra or 864-4910
Opinion ... Chris Borniger opinion@kansan.com
Associate opinion Nathan Willis or 864-4924
Sports ... Shawn Hutchinson sports@kansan.com
Associate sports ... Shawn Lienberger or 864-4956
The University Daily Kansan
JOURS
Campus ... Jay Krall,
Features ... Kursten Phelps
Kristi Elliott
Jayplay ... Erinn R. Barcom
Online ... Katie Moore
Associate online .. Chris Hopkins
Andrew Vaupel
Photo ... Selena Jabara
Design, graphics .. Kyle Ramsey
Wire .. J.R. Mendoza
Special sections .. Sara Nutt
General manager
veter@kansas.com
or 864-4810
features@kansas.com
or 864-4824
jayplay@kansas.com
or 864-4810
uxeditor@kansas.com
or 864-4810
864-4821
864-4812
864-4810
864-4810
tehens@kansas.com
and news adviser ... Tom Euen
Business ... Trent Guyer
Retail sales ... Cecily Curran
Marketing ... Anika Entwistle
Campus ... Adam Lampinstein
Regional ... Angie Boley
National .. Chris Davenport
Online sales ... Katie Mariani
... Mark Rud
Online creative ... Jeremy Gaston
Creative ... Erin Endres
Advertisin
or 864-7667
addrvector@kansan.com
or 864-4014
retailsales@kansan.com
or 864-4462
864-4358
864-4358
864-4358
864-4358
onlineads@kansan.com
or 864-4358
864-4358
864-4358
managers
Special sections ... Katy Hyman 864-4358
Production ... Rebekah Gaston 864-4475
... Emily Knowles
Classifieds ... Jared Thurston classifieds@kansan.com or 864-4358
Zone ... Nik Reed 864-4358
Zone ... Jenny Moore 864-4358
Zone ... Chrissy Kontras 864-4358
Zone ... Kelly Feuille 864-4358
Sales and marketing Matt Fisher mfisher@kansan.com