Let the battle between Director of Athletics Jim Schaus and Faculty Senate Chairman Joe McLaughlin begin again.
McLaughlin accuses Athletics of squandering funds while other areas of Ohio University suffer. Schaus highlights ESPN coverage, alumni donations and most recently, 12th place in an economic-efficiency study of athletics programs nationwide. He says Intercollegiate Athletics deserves its $18 million budget for its accomplishments, and it needs the funds to continue branding the university.
So who is right? In athletics, it's all about prestige. Who wins the most games, has the best recruits and goes to championships. We know Athletics will try to take as much money as possible to gain prominence nationally. That's what all departments do; they want funding so they're at the top of their niche.
However, OU is enabling the department. Athletics is closer to being in the black than in the past - currently, it's only $3 over budget - and it has been rather successful. But when a department is able to ask for money to balance its budget, is it managing finances or just manipulating a loophole?
Although it's nice to be recognized on a national scale, there's more to the story. The Excellence in Management Cup analyzes economic efficiency - who can win big games with that program's budget. It studies efficiency compared to other schools, rather than efficiency within the university itself.
Opportunity cost was not taken into account. And as every ECON103 student knows, without considering other possible investments, you're solving the problem incorrectly. With so many academic units hurting, is it fair or necessary for Athletics to be given a chunk of change as well as the ability to demand for more regularly?
We as a university have scarce resources. The study only proves Athletics can use its current budget to do its job. That is hardly impressive on our university scale, no matter how good it looks when compared to other schools.
We can't blame Schaus and the department for trying to maximize resources. But OU trustees should look into where students' money is going themselves rather than relying on incomplete pictures from outside sources.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editors.
4 Opinion
