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PETITION
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request that you sign with your name rather than as "Anonymous"
as some have. Thank you and thanks to the Women's Lacrosse blog
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SWIMMING AND DIVING
Your Turn: Sports cuts a dishonest case of expenses
exceeding income
Letter to the Editor
If I told you I earned $250,000 per year (unfortunately I
don’t), you might be impressed. But if you found that I was spending $300,000
per year in my household budget (fortunately I’m not), you would quickly
realize that I had a problem. That problem is called a deficit. Regardless of
how impressive my income might be, the real bottom line of my finances is income
minus expenses. When expenses exceed income, a deficit occurs.
I appreciate Nate Saum pointing out in his letter on
April 9 the huge sums of money that OU football brings in for playing many of
their games. To earn $500,000 for one game is certainly impressive! But Nate,
what is the real bottom line? Income is only half of the equation. Can you
ignore what the football team spends or costs the university each year? It’s
easy to bring in millions and still have a gigantic deficit — just spend more
than you bring in.
I need to say here that I am not opposed to OU football
in any way. I am not even opposed to OU football losing millions of dollars each
year. In fact, I am not even opposed, in principle, to the university ceasing to
fund other things in order to fund a sport that, on the surface anyway, is
losing money. If the university benefits from having an impressive football team
(no doubt this matters to alumni and impacts their giving), then make the
responsible and rational cuts you need in order to support the football program.
But be honest!
If you are directing funds to football because the
university benefits in some tangible or intangible way, then don’t say
“Title IX made me do it.” No, you chose to do it. When pressured at the Feb.
15 Board of Trustees meeting to divulge the real reasons for the elimination of
four OU sports, Athletic Director Hocutt took a step toward honesty when he said
“there are financial savings and investments in cutting these other sports.
The university has decided to strategically invest in other sports.” Why
wouldn’t he admit that on Jan. 24 when the original announcement was made?
Nate suggested that I do some more digging to find the
real culprit. How about digging into the May 25, 2006 OU Internal Audit, Review
of Intercollegiate Athletics? It states that fiscal mismanagement in the
athletic department “has resulted in ICA exceeding its budget in recent years
and accumulating a deficit that must be repaid to the university. The debt
includes operating deficits of more than $1,000,000 from both FY05 and FY06
(projected), capital debt from the Peden Stadium renovations and from the
lowering of the football field.”
I could drag out many similar quotes from this document
and other public documents, but would rather summarize by quoting former OU
track and cross country coach Elmore Banton in his Feb, 5 article in The Post:
“According to the last year’s NCAA report, Ohio University spends $491 per
track athlete per year, $10,000 per football athlete per year and $22,000 per
basketball athlete per year.” He goes on to say “in addition, the Ohio
University football program had a $1.9 million deficit and basketball had a
$331,000 deficit last year. To anyone looking at these figures, it might appear
that we are attacking the wrong animals. The cows have gotten too big for the
barn, so we are throwing out the chickens instead of putting the cows on a
diet.” I want to meet Coach Banton someday — he’s got a way with words!
In my profession I have the privilege of counseling
people regarding their personal finances. When someone’s expenses exceed their
income, I advise them that they need to either raise income or cut expenses.
Cutting expenses is almost always the easier route. But when they ask me if they
can just stop making their car payments, credit card payments or the payments on
their big screen TV, I have to remind them that those are obligations they took
on willingly. Their budget cuts will have to come in other categories, like
cutting down on their groceries or moving to a cheaper apartment. Integrity
demands that you honor your obligations, even when it’s uncomfortable or
inconvenient. Ohio University’s athletic department entered into an obligation
to swimmers, lacrosse players and track athletes when it recruited them and
signed them to compete for OU. Budget cuts need to be made; but commitments need
to be honored. OU could honor its commitment to these athletes by allowing their
sports to phase out during the next three years. Meanwhile, make responsible
budget cuts somewhere else — or maybe just do as Coach Banton suggests, and
put the cows on a diet.
Honesty and integrity. Recurring themes that Nate has
probably noticed in the “letter after letter” he has read on this issue. I
hope lots of people have noticed. I’m still hopeful that President McDavis and
Athletic Director Hocutt will take heed. They do read The Post, don’t they?
Greg Sargent writes from
Mason, Ohio, and is a member of United Swim Parents.
"No doubt the athletic directors at Ohio State and
Florida will find it hard to sleep at night, since they now have to worry about
competing with OU for national titles!"
Your Turn: Columnist accurately summarizes athletic
director’s Title IX interpretation
Letter to the Editor
I would like to thank Ashley Herzog for the outstanding
article on Title IX, “Feminist-enforced Title IX harms male, female
athletes.” She presented the facts about this outdated statute and the
misguided enforcement of it in a very clear and concise way. As the father of
one of the student-athletes affected by the Jan. 24 announcement to cut four OU
teams, I have read a great deal about Title IX and the politics of collegiate
sports in the last two months. Ms. Herzog’s article accurately summarizes the
situation — both men and women are denied opportunities to compete in
collegiate sports because of the way this law is being interpreted.
I say “interpreted” rather than “enforced”
because it seems that it’s the athletic directors who are wielding the Title
IX axe, not the NCAA. They might play the numbers game out of fear of sanctions
from the NCAA, but the NCAA president has stated that there are better ways for
colleges to comply with Title IX, and cutting teams is not the answer. Or maybe
they try to keep the numbers even along gender lines out of fear of a lawsuit
from an athlete who feels that he or she is somehow being deprived or
underrepresented. But I suspect in most cases, Title IX is only a convenient
scapegoat used by athletic directors to eliminate “non-revenue sports” in
order to pump more money into the so-called “revenue sports.” ( Which in
OU’s case means directing more money toward the deficits created by the
“revenue sports.”)
There are at least 85 OU student-athletes and their
families who are still recovering from the Athletic Department’s decision to
cut their sports — the same Athletic Department that recruited them to come to
Athens and represent the university through these sports in the first place. Did
the athletic director suddenly become aware of Title IX, a law that has been on
the books since 1972? No, I don’t think so. Did men’s indoor and outdoor
track, men’s swimming and women’s lacrosse suddenly create a budget crisis?
No, of course not. But maybe the deficits created by bowl games that were
supposed to bring in money brought him to the point where he felt he needed to
take some “decisive action,” and cutting sports that he thinks nobody cares
about would make him look like a leader willing to make the “hard choices.”
There is still a way out of this fiasco, a simple solution that would address
both the budget and gender equity issues, and at the same time show some
integrity by honoring the commitments made to these student-athletes. All the
athletic director needs to do is allow these sports to be phased out over the
next three years. But it would take some humility to reverse a decision that has
been declared “final.” It doesn’t take any humility or integrity to blame
Title IX.
After eliminating four sports, Ohio University is now at
the minimum of 16 teams needed to remain a Division I-A school. Title IX has
been used as an excuse for removing the excess baggage that these four teams
represented, and has cleared the way for a streamlined OU to build its sports
dynasty. No doubt the athletic directors at Ohio State and Florida will find it
hard to sleep at night, since they now have to worry about competing with OU for
national titles!
Greg Sargent writes from
Mason, Ohio and is a member of United Swim Parents.
ELOQUENT WORDS FROM UNITED SWIM PARENTS
Letter to the Editor
In their own words:
“You will graduate a Bobcat swimmer.”
“Ohio University is committed to its Men’s Swimming program.”
“Ohio University is committed to Olympic sports.”
“There are no Title IX issues at Ohio University.”
The current issue on the table is whether President Roderick McDavis and
Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt are men of integrity, willing to stand by
promises made to induce high school swimmers and divers to sign letters of
intent and after enrollment, to encourage student athletes to remain in the Ohio
University swim program. The above statements reflect repeated promises made to
current men’s swimming and diving team members regarding the program
throughout their tenure at Ohio University.
On Jan. 12, 2006 Athletic Director Hocutt sent a letter on Ohio University
letterhead to a number of swimmers “as a follow up to Coach Werner’s
conversation with you regarding a very difficult situation.” The conversation
that Mr. Hocutt referred to included all of the quotes above. Mr. Hocutt states
in the letter: “I want to assure you that the Athletics Department is behind
the Men’s Swimming & Diving program and will support you with all
available resources. As reflected in our five-year plan referenced above, it is
our department’s goal to ultimately return Men’s Swimming & Diving to
its 2004-2005 scholarship totals.”
Ohio University’s Core Values and Guiding Principles are outlined on pages
20 and 21 of the Vision Ohio document: “Interactions among all individuals in
the university community should be built on standards of civility, integrity,
caring, and collaboration.” Webster’s online dictionary defines
‘integrity’ as a firm adherence to a code of moral values. Integrity
involves honesty, honor, honoring your word and honoring your commitments.
On behalf of the United Swim Parents, Brad Stetson and John Schaefer met with
President McDavis, Athletic Director Hocutt and Associate Athletic Director Rob
Andrey on Feb. 16. We discussed the topics above and recommended a phase-out
option for the programs that were cut to allow the current athletes to complete
their athletic eligibility. This is the only fair course of action in light of
the specific representations by the swimming coaches and Athletic Director
highlighted above. Simply put, Ohio University has an ethical, moral and legal
responsibility to honor the words and commitments of its own representatives.
Current team members await President McDavis’ decision regarding whether
promises made will be promises kept.
—United
Swim Parents
Your Turn: OU should honor commitment to athletes with phase-out
Letter to the Editor
Reasons to phase out men’s swimming and diving:
Ohio University has the most talented team in 13 years under Coach Greg
Werner. The team won the Akron Invitational in December 2006 — a first under
Werner. They scored more points at the MAC than any other team under Werner.
There are no seniors — how good could they be next year. Give them a chance!
There is a lot of positive press from this team and these coaches.
OU has a retention problem. Men’s swimming and diving offers a sense of
belonging and family. These men will stay the duration and graduate, helping to
raise retention rates, which I understand have plummeted. Many will leave
without a swimming and diving program.
OU’s enrollment projections were far below budget. The men’s swimming and
diving program attracted 28 men to Athens just to swim — 14 men from out of
state. When a school has a special niche that attracts students from Illinois,
West Virginia, Texas, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Indiana, New York, Wisconsin and
Michigan, something special is happening and the program should be kept. Best
value and investment on campus! Recruiting for women’s swimming and diving
will be compromised without the men’s program.
OU’s budget is swimming in red ink. Revenue generated by men’s swimming
and diving — only tuition money.
Fourteen out-of-state students multiplied by $16,308 equals $228,312 per
year. Fourteen in-state students multiplied by $7,992 equals $111, 888 per year.
NCAA gives $22,000 to OU for each athletic program it offers. That’s a grand
total of $362,200 per year plus room and board revenue.
Mr. Hocutt stated, “Little would be saved ($25,000) in canceling the
program rather than phasing it out.” What is the real issue? Can’t admit you
made a mistake and did not know about your athletic department’s written
promises? OU needs to demonstrate integrity and do the right thing, not the
face-saving thing!
Swimmers just want to swim and compete; they aren’t there for the money,
the free ride or the five-year academic program. They just love the sport, the
competition and the camaraderie (no scholarships this year for freshmen and only
1.3 scholarships for the rest of the team — a minimal investment). Many have
been swimming since they were five years old.
OU should honor the commitment their administration made to these men in
writing who chose this university based on the assurances they received. Our men
brought Bobcat pride to the MAC this past week. OU can be proud of their
performance and how they represented their university with integrity, class and
dignity. They chanted their “OU Fight Cheer,” wearing their OU warm-ups in
spite of knowing their university did not support them Show them the integrity
they showed you, Mr. President! Don’t let your student body know you don’t
have the courage to fix what you got wrong, now that the facts are in.
President
McDavis, initiate the phase-out and turn down the heat on campus.
Get this university back on track by demonstrating moral principles,
uprightness, honesty and sincerity. As stated in The
Post by a soon-to-be alumnus, reverse the “crumbling esteem” and
“frightfully downward slope” this university is on under your watch.
Jan Herley is with United Swim Parents.
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DROPPED
TEAMS
2006
Women's Lacrosse Team
Swimming
and Diving
and
Track
and Field
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