Athletic director tackles financial problems
By ANN PORTAL
Ol tM InwM
Aware that the University's
former athletic director fouled
out because of budget prob
lems, his replacement stressed
a new game plan at a Monday
press conference
Rick Bay, who will assume the
intercollegiate athletic direc
tor's duties on July 1, said his
number-one goal next year will
be trying to balance the athletic
department budget
Bay said he is well aware of
the budget problems that last
year forced the elimination of
four major University sports But
when trying to balance the bud
get, it's one thing to talk about
it and another to do it." he said
Bay said hts solution will rely
on two separate strategies — a
sophisticated" fund-raising
campaign and an emphasis on
season ticket sales for football
games
To accomplish the first goal.
Bay said he plans to hire a full
time fund raiser and a full-time
business manager The fund
raising staff will concentrate on
organizing resources and alum
ni, he said, encouraging alumni
not only to contribute their own
efforts but also to solicit the
efforts of others
Although next year s season
ticket sale already has begun,
Bay said an attractive football
schedule for the next two years
will help sales Football fans will
discover they need season tick
ets to get into the big games, he
said, including an Oct 23 home
game against Notre Dame dur
ing the 1982-83 season
be outstanding programs at the
University "Your (men's) gym
nastics, even though it was
dropped, was an outstanding
program," he said
A sound athletic department
reflects on the entire University,
Bay said, serving as the yard
A successful athletic program is essential
to the University.’
Bay said the University must
maintain a strong football pro
gram because ticket-sale
revenue is needed to accom
plish other goals The Universi
ty s football program is "up and
;oming" and led by one of the
outstanding young football
coaches in the country," he
said
New revenue will be used to
help restore the four programs
that were cut this year. Bay said
Although many "tend to over
look the entire picture," Bay
said he considers non-revenue
sports and women's athletics to
be essential parts of University
athletics
Bay said he considers men s
wrestling and track and
women s basketball and track to
stick by which overall quality is
measured Although this em
phasis can be considered good
or bad, athletics enhances the
degree of all alumni, he said
‘ A successful athletic pro
gram is essential to the Univer
sity "
Regarding the continuing
NCAA investigation of alleged
violations, Bay said he feels the
University has been "up front"
in responding to charges and
that there is no truth to a recent
newspaper account that the in
vestigation has been expanded
Bay, who will report directly to
Ray Hawk, vice president for
administration and finance, said
he feels that he is working with
an administration that is sup
New ASUO staff settles in
Pres Rich Wilkins, beginning
his first full year of office Is
using a slow summer term to get
organized
There s just not much hap
pening right now, he says
We're in transition and are
currently trying to get the new
staff oriented to the office
Wilkins suggests he hasn t
been sitting on his hands, how
ever A lot of hard work and
lobbying was accomplished this
past year in favor of higher
education he says
Indications suggest our ef
forts are starting to pay off The
Legislature is getting ready to
wind down within two tc three
weeks This may end up on the
positive side
Justifying his optimism, Wil
kins says. The Legislature is
weighing the pros and cons of
the impacts that would result
from a 10 percent across-the
board reduction We ve
stressed we want an educated
society — an educated society
brings in more industry
Referring to possible cuts in
Gov Vic Atiyeh's proposed
budget for higher education.
Wilkins says, "We've been ba
sically talking economics up
there If the University takes a
10-percent cut, the Eugene
Springfield area would lose
about $26 million
The ASUO also has been
spending some time with the
athletic department, mainly
because of new athletic director
Rick Bay Wilkins says a little
more than $750,000 in student
funds is spent in the department
and the ASUO is interested in
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having more say on where it's
spent
Wilkins describes Bay as
"riqht-on ”
He's open," Wilkins says,
"and can communicate well
with the students He has good
interpersonal skills "
portive of athletics in general
But there "certainly is some
skepticism on campus" that will
require some public relations
work, although the campus is
not down on athletics in gener
al, he said
However, Bay said last year's
scandals are in the past and that
he is looking forward to gettinq
to work
"I feel I'm moving into a sit
uation that is by and large pos
itive,” he said
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