The Oregonian’s Rachel Bachman has written an investigative report that ought to make even the most diehard supporters of the green and gold see red.
It seems the University of Oregon athletic department’s claim that it’s financially self-sufficient is a few yards shy of the truth. What the hell, why mince words – it’s a lie.
Going through U of O financial records, Bachman discovered that hundreds of thousands of dollars a year come out of the university’s general fund to pay for academic support of athletes – personal tutoring and counseling, basically.
“The general fund has paid nearly $8.5 million over the past nine years for academic support for athletes … increasing sixfold from less than $300,000 in 2002-03 to a budgeted $1.8 million this academic year,” Bachman reports.
“Meanwhile tuition has nearly doubled and state support has plummeted to 7 percent of the university’s overall budget. Use of the general fund to academically support athletes means that other students essentially are subsidizing those services.”
At Oregon State, $1.8 million a year comes out of the college’s general fund for academic support of athletes. But OSU, unlike the U of O, doesn’t claim that its athletic department is self-sufficient.
“Then-athletic director Pat Kilkenny wrote in a July 2007 editorial in Eugene’s Register-Guard newspaper, ‘We receive no funding from the state or the university general funds,’” Bachman wrote. “On the Ducks’ athletic site, the page introducing the Duck Athletic Fund says, ‘the University of Oregon Athletic Department is financially self-sufficient and does not receive any support from state funds.’”
What’s really depressing, though, is that Bachman’s story is accompanied by an on-line poll asking readers: “How do you feel about Oregon’s athletic department, despite claims of self-sufficiency, using state money to cover athletes’ academic needs?” Only about 32% (at this writing) say they’re “troubled by it,” nearly 13% say they’re “indifferent,” and the clear majority – about 55% – say they’re “fine with it.”
How much do you want to bet that many of the 55-percenters are among the most tireless complainers about taxes for education?
This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2010.
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
Mr. Miller appears to be arguing that some students should not get needed tutoring and counseling services. Are football players not allowed to access public funds, just like any other student, where there is a need? The football team is self-supporting, it would appear, based on Mr. Miller’s article, since he indicates the other costs to which he refers are for academic purposes.
This article confirms once again my feelings toward the Source Weekly, with it’s semi-pro staff of writers and its liberal leanings. Case in point–the last sentence which is Mr. Miller’s parting shot. Well, here’s a shot for you, Mr. Miller: Get a job that matches your skill set. This one does not!
“Are football players not allowed to access public funds, just like any other student, where there is a need?”
Ordinary students at the U of O aren’t given the kind of free tutoring, counseling and other special attention that football players and other athletes get. From the U of O website on “Support Services for Student-Athletes”:
“SSA provides comprehensive academic support to more than 500 student-athletes attending UO. The department is open 6 days a week providing services such as class scheduling and advising, advanced learning assistance for under prepared and disabled learners, tutor appointments, Math and Science lab, quiet study tables and computer labs with Internet, printing and scanning services. … SSA employs 14 staff members dedicated to the support and success of our student-athletes. The list of staffers includes, 6 Academic Advisors, 5 Learning Specialists, Office Manager/Tutorial Coordinator, Study Table Coordinator, and IT Consultant. In addition, SSA employs over 50 tutors and student workers. … SSA is housed in the new John E. Jaqua Academic Center [for Student-Athletes]. The facility contains nearly 40 tutor rooms, a large auditorium, several computer labs and special project areas.”
For the U of O to spend $1.8 million a year out of its general fund on academic coddling of athletes while other students and their families are being hit with brutal tuition increases is simply outrageous. I am a big fan of Ducks football, but this infuriates me. If you can’t understand why, I can’t help you.
Green and “Gold” wow… nice research
College athletics are a marketing firm, and that’s just fine in a free market economy.
Actually I agree with Bruce on this one.
The sad fact of life is that you can throw/catch a football then you can get away with just about anything and society will bend over backwards to make sure you keep throwing or catching that football. Oregon is basically a football institute that happens to put out some degrees as well. Too bad no one really gives a crap.
You made no mention of the amount of Money the Football program brings into the University for its Bowl appearances. I know that it is substantial and the gate at the games must also bring in considerable cash along with the merchandising that goes with a winning program that is put directly into the general fund. I would like to see the numbers for the revenue side and not just the tutoring expense.
I don’t often agree with you HBM, but you are right on the money, so to speak, on this one! No college athletes should be recruited that need special assistance with entrance requirements or maintaining their scholatic standing. Academics should always be the primary focus for a university, not pro sports recruitment! Sadly, the poll results you mention come as no surprise given the knuckleheaded values of the rah-rah jocks in this country.
Perhaps the Duck Athletic Fund could be rebranded as the “Duck Athletic Fund for Future Years”, or DAFFY for short, as it seems most of this funding issue appears just so— daffy, whacky, goofy and loonie
whatever bruce, as long as they’re winning it’s all good. you know that.
the average jerk that spends more than two minutes per week thinking about or watching college football doesn’t care about his school wasting money or cheating as long as they win. it’s when they waste and cheat but don’t win, or worse don’t waste and cheat and as a consequence suck, that the fans get upset. wait till chippy boy hits a rough patch. then a story like this might have legs. until then just keep up the good work of giving us topics that cause tea partyers and smug bend yuppies to chew their tails and shoot indignant missives onto the internet.
I find Mr Miller’s article and commentary troubling. I am curious to know of the many other areas where he see’s the University of Oregon wasting money as he seems to have a copy of their financials and I would assume has thoroughly reviewed them.
Mr Miller, you say you are a fan of Oregon football but I wonder if you’ve considered the daily sacrifice of the athletes in your calculation. These kids endure daily class schedules, then athletic training for their sport. They spend countless hours on the road traveling to competitions, performing, then traveling back. They subsequently miss significant amounts of class but are expected to maintain a GPA to be academically eligible to compete. They are constantly being watched and their activities scrutinized, especially when they cause or get into trouble. In short they are under a tremendous amount of pressure to perform in not only the athletic but also the academic, and social arenas, all so you can be the fan of a winning team, sit in your chair and watch. These kids are giving a tremendous part of themselves, physically, mentally, and emotionally for the opportunity to compete. It would seem that the academic support is part of the package.
From their website, here is the Support Services for
Student-Athletes (SSA) Mission Statement:
“Services for Student Athletes ensures that students who are currently or have been affiliated with University of Oregon Athletics, regardless of athletic eligibility, are provided every opportunity to accomplish academic goals and earn a degree.” Sounds to me as though educational success is definitely viewed as a secondary goal to athletics – being at the university IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY (why you would be there) to accomplish academic goals and earn a degree.!
One of their offered services is “advanced learning assistance for under prepared and disabled learners”. Why is an under prepared student even allowed college entrance? Oh, that’s right, because he can throw the ball! Huh?
Well then, I guess the cure for this needs to be that the Athletic Depts. must become self-sustaining. This is a great concept especially here in Oregon and for the U of O.
In today’s eco-whacko world, “sustainability” is rammed down our throats in every facet of life until we gag. So it’s only appropriate that we apply the same “sustainability” standards to college sports.
Good-bye Title IX. See ‘ya later womens’ sports. Adios swimming and crew. Hasta la vista track and tennis. Baseball and golf can stay because I like them.
We can also say bye-bye to alot of donations and endowments as well. Phil, go spend your billions on bamboo farms and compact flourescent light bulbs.
Let’s face it: Collegiate football and basketball have become the ‘semi-pro’ development farm clubs for the NFL and NBA. The illusion of the college athlete/scholar is more of a conceit than a reality. The Duck’s football program has such stellar academic stars and student citizens–at least when they aren’t stealing lap tops, abusing drugs and alcohol, involved in sex scandals, or trying to get around the NCAA amateur requirements. I’m not picking on the Ducks–every college and university with an ‘outstanding, competitive’ sports program has these problems. I would never pretend that they are being held to a higher standard because they are athletes. Instead, they are cut slack in almost every situation so they can perform their real role–athlete.
There is too much money in college sports. Media revenues–gate revenues–merchandising revenues–alumni donations–corporate sponsorships: let’s stop pretending these are students and pay them what they are worth. To hell with academic standards and requirements. Let the professional leagues bankroll the college play if revenues don’t meet the financial demands. Title IX was a response to the use of taxes in a discriminatory fashion. Let sponsors and the media pay for it and to hell with the ones that don’t make it. Sports adds nothing to educational opportunity and development–NOTHING!!
People who live out their personal fantasies as sports fans should pay for the priviledge. If it can be justified that a man’s house can burn down because he didn’t pay a $75 fee, than sports programs and teams can go the same way if the fans can’t afford them.
California is a screwed up mess, but it said goodbye to professional football twenty-five years ago and continues to deny the NFL local access to the largest media market in the country because the tax payers refuse to build a billion dollar stadium for billionaire owners in a billion dollar industry, who always come hat-in-hand and arm-in-arm with some politico looking for a stadium in his district bearing his name as a legacy.
Colleges and universities–and the country at large–would be better served by an academic system more focussed on education and less on the frat-house antics of sports oriented and motivated behavior. Maybe it sounds a little too ‘bah humbug’ but everything has a cost and why should I, whether an amumnus, a student, or a taxpayer, fund an activity in which I have no interest or that does not contribute to the real purpose of the institution: education.
“California is a screwed up mess, but it said goodbye to professional football twenty-five years ago”
Well, they still have the ’49ers …
… on second thought, you’re right — they DON’T have a professional football team.
You’re right on both counts, HB. I intended to write Southern California.