You missed the point smart guy :P I recognize that a full cut of athletics would not happen, nor do I expect it to. I just wanted people to start thinking about other venues to save money aside from cutting out professors. Athletics should receive disproportionately more cuts then academics, because we are here FOR and BECAUSE of academics. I just want people to start thinking about what is considered the "foundation" of a university.

Originally posted by

Jonny Athlete

Cuts to the athletic department are something that has to be considered along with other things at the university in times of financial difficulty, but realize how many students are brought to the university by the various athletic programs that are offered. Without athletics, Truman would be put at a major disadvantage versus competing schools for students. No athletics translates to a much lower enrollment for the university and less money. You also clearly have no idea what amounts of money some athletes receive. Very few at this level are on full scholarship. Do some research next time smart guy.

Following up on this comment as well, I wonder if Mr. Heagney actually did think about some of the other academic ramifications should the athletics department see major cuts to the point of elimination.

With more than 400+ student-athletes, not only is there the potential for upwards of 7-8% of the student population to transfer to another school (after all, these students have gifts of being athletic, so they will use them somewhere else while receiving an education .. just like someone who is incredibly good at writing might do should the Index, for example, get cut), but as a result, many academic disciplines would suffer - reducing the number of faculty and staff members that would be able to be retained.

I believe there are a LOT of student-athletes who are HES majors ... say if there were suddenly 120 (I'm just guessing on this number, but to me it seems at least semi-accurate) fewer HES majors due to athletics cut + transfering students, I would have to think that a handful of those faculty members would be out of work thanks to a lower number of students enrolled in classes.

And finally, how about all of the athletics staff members who would be out of a job? I'm not just talking about administration either, but how about coaches (many of which also teach - I'm not sure if you were aware), athletic trainers (again, many of which teach), and custodians too.

I understand what you were probably trying to do in trying to point out the fact that this is an academic instition and, in your mind, athletics don't play a role at all in that. However, underneath the surface and with a bit more logic, it's clear to see that they do - just like many other extra-curricular areas on campus.

Perhaps the answer DOES lie in an earlier comment about cutting one or two sports, similar to what some other departments are facing? Now that would be much more logical than the original letter...

Originally posted by

Very upset

Mr. Heagney,

What would you propose for the students who directly use athletics as hands-on experience for their major? For example, athletic training students spend all their time with sports teams and greatly benefit from this experience. What about exercise science majors who use athletic teams for research? What about sport psychology patterns that require some sport in order to allow any research? This doesn't even begin to cover the fact of the school's image. Believe it or not, some students don't want to go to a ridiculously augmented academic institution. Recruitment of high quality students would suffer if athletics received any more cuts. Period. Athletics already receives the blame for every other university problem; give them a break. Yes, I agree that academics are vital and should be the main priority of an institution. However, being a well-rounded school is even more important.

It's a shame that students like you can't get out from behind the books and enjoy athletics.