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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 9, 1985)
Students speak out on athletic funding By Julie Shippen Of the Emerald Editor’s note: ASUO President Julie Davis recently announced her intention to veto the athletic department’s 1985-86 $773,009 budget contract, as finalized Tuesday by the Incidental Fee Commit tee. The Emerald spoke with randomly selected students Wednesday about their views on funding the department. “Athletics always has been important to me. I wouldn’t mind it if they asked students for a little more money,” said Beto Alcocer, a freshman at the business school and a regular attender of athletic events. Alcocer, originally from Mexico, said it was the University’s athletic program that sparked his initial interest in atten ding school here, and he believes a strong athletic progam enhances the col lege and produces better people through athletic competition. “There is no way to be cheating in sports. You learn that in life. The only way to win is to work for it,” Alococer said. He added that an increase in fees supporting the athletic department isn’t a significant sacrifice since students Nan Koenig often pay $30 for individual textbooks every term. “Why not pay a couple dollars more to keep the athletic department strong,” he said. “I think we should support our team." Nan Koenig, a sophomore majoring in psychology, doesn’t agree. Koenig believes the department’s budget should 4A university is for in tellectual education. Sports and school should be separated. * — Christiane Mrozek be funded by those directly involved in athletics as competitors or spectators. “I have more the view that only a small percent of the student population is involved in athletics. Therefore, I don’t know how much students should be expected to pay; I think there should be a limit,” Koenig said. More emphasis should be placed on curriculum rather than on “the team,” Koenig said. She added that she came to the University for academic — not athletic — reasons, and rarely attends games because of her work and academic obligations. “I think they (the 1FC) should go through it again before they make a final decision, and look at it a little closer,” Koenig said. Christiane Mrozek believes athletic competition is inappropriate in an academic atmosphere. Mrozek, a biology graduate student, agreed with Keonig that student fees should go to education over athletics, adding that sports should be more of a private, leisure-time activity. “A university is for intellectual educa tion. Sports and school should be separated,” she said, adding that in her native country of Germany, the two are not mixed. “It makes me somewhat sick to see this high competition in sports and this high emphasis on campus for sports.” Mrozek believes it is unjustified that athletes attend college on scholarships and receive free tutoring while graduate and out-of-state students pay increased tuition rates and attend classes in depart ments with deficient budgets. “It’s clear there is a lot of money going there (to the athletic department). That’s such a discrepancy in the fundings,” she said. “It’s not justified. Education in this country is bad enough as it is.” Walter Dodds, who is working toward a doctorate degree in biology, also is op posed to additional funding for the athletic department. "It seems so strange to me that the head football coach makes more than the governor of the state. I really don’t think that’s fair,” Dodds said. According to the 1985-86 Oregon Blue Book, Gov. Vic Atiyeh’s annual salary is $55,423. Rich Brooks, the University’s head football coach, currently earns $86,000. Dodds said the athletic department’s distribution of funding to the different sports is unfair as more money goes to male-dominated sports than to women’s sports. “In terms of equality, it’s not balanced. It’s not an equal opportunity," Dodds said. 7 definitely don’t think students should have to pay more (but) I don ft buy the argument that we shouldn't subsidize sports at all. ’ — Ken Lake “It’s a philosophy of education ques tion rather than a line-item by line-item question,” he concluded. “I think the funding structure should be reconsidered.” “Pretty soon we’re going to have col lege ‘pros’,” said Chris Artman, a Beto Alcocer freshman yet to declare his major. While Artman, like many of the others polled, admitted he was unfamiliar with the athletic department’s budget, he believes the money should go elsewhere, such as Club Sports, a program accessi ble to all students. “The whole idea is to come to school to acquire knowledge in a broad sense,” Artman said. “I don’t think people come here for the Pac-10 competition. Per sonally 1 don’t feel they should put so much into it.” “1 think they should try other places first before asking students (for addi tional funds),” said Ken Lake, a senior in political science. ”1 definitely don’t think students should have to pay more.” But Lake believes that athletics does play an important role at the University. “It helps the University’s image in the sports community,” he said. "I don’t buy the argument that we shouldn’t sub sidize sports at all.” Lecture to explain Penk case tonight “Davidette vs. Goliath,” a lecture offered by the ASUO Women’s Task Force, will be held this evening, examining the Penk case, a class-action sex discrimination lawsuit filed by Oregon women faculty against the Oregon State Board of Higher Education. Margaret Lumpkin, a named plaintiff in the case, will speak at the lecture. Lumpkin is a recently retired Oregon State University education professor and president of Faculty Women for Equity. Jeanne Dost, OSU economics professor and director of the women’s studies program, also will speak. The lecture will be presented at 7:30 p.m. in 101 EMU. Customer deadline nears for long-distance firm selection Most Eugene, Springfield and Leaburg telephone subscribers who haven’t selected a company to handle their interstate long-distance calls by June 24 will be randomly assigned to one of six companies competing in the area, says Dave Underhill, Oregon’s public relations manager for American Telephone & Telegraph Communications. However, customers can still choose a long distance company after June 24, but will be charg ed a $5 processing fee for changes made more than 180 days after the June conversion date, he adds. August 1 will end AT&T’s monopoly over direct long-distance calling in the three cities, when five other long-distance services for this area will gain equal access to the ability for customers dialing long-distance calls to just dial the number “1” and the telephone number. The companies are MCI Telecommunications, GTE SPRINT, IJ.S. Inc., American Network Inc. and SAVENET, Underhill says. The conversion applies to all phone lines in Eugene, Springfield and Leaburg, except for River Road/Santa Clara and Bethel/Danebo-area customers (461, 688 or 689 prefixes), which will be converted in 1986. Prices, locations of service availability, billing options, sound quality and operator access are all factors to consider when selecting a long-distance service. Either customers or the companies they set up service with can notify Pacific Northwest Bell of their choices in long-distance services. I-_T 1985 SPRING TENNIS CLASSIC MAY 24-26 Prizes: First 150 participants receive t-shirts. Trophies will be awarded to all division winners. Entry Fees: UO students $6 singles, $4 doubles. All others $7 singles, $5 doubles. Entry Forms: Available at UO Recreation and Intramurals (103 Gerlinger) or at the Women’s Athletic Office (110 Gerlinger). 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