Editor,
As a tenured faculty member who also serves as chairman of the Faculty Senate Athletics Council, I understand and appreciate the perspectives of people who argue for an increased investment in quality, high-profile athletics programs, as well as those of individuals like professor Geoffrey Miller who question the funding inequities between academics and athletics. Those perspectives have been at odds since colleges first fielded sports teams.
There are glaring misconceptions about funding that seem to be at the core of this debate. Simply put, funds for athletics and for academics are not interchangeable. The money comes from two totally separate sources, and most of the funds now used for athletics cannot be used for any other
purpose.
According to Athletics Department figures, 88 percent of the department's budget comes from ticket sales, concessions, corporate sponsorships, NCAA revenues, media contracts and private contributions. Approximately 12 percent of the budget - $2.7 million - comes from state dollars that mostly fund grants-in-aid scholarships for student athletes.
The base salary for the new men's basketball coach is $210,000, which is comparable to the salaries of the women's basketball head coach and the football head coach. The remainder of their compensation packages comes from sources like TV, radio, community relations, sports camps and shoe contracts.
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We ask a lot more of these individuals than merely teaching their teams to play better ball. A successful coach is asked to build a nationally recognized program that can bring attention and respect to the entire University, our city and the state as a whole. The best among them are teachers, first and foremost, who field skilled teams of young men and women committed to their studies as well as sports. What's more, we ask them to make good on our investment in a high-pressure, high-profile
environment.
I've no doubt the debate will continue, but let's at least base our arguments on the facts.
Bill Bramble
UNM faculty
