I am a student-athlete at Eastern Michigan University and in response to the Dec. 6 article “Athletic funds could be used for academics” in The Eastern Echo, more specifically the statement that “it’s time the board takes a timeout from the unfettered, lavish spending on the Athletic Department.”
It appears to me that the article erroneously used the phrases “athletic department” and “football program” interchangeably. Your statement to cut funding from the Athletic Department is totally uncalled for for two reasons.
First, the article based that argument solely on the performance of the football program. It does not take into account the 18 other teams at EMU. To say that the entire Athletic Department should lose funding based on the performance of one team is an extremely unfair generalization.
Second, to refer to the Athletic Department’s spending as “unfettered” and “lavish” is completely unfounded. According to the U.S. Department of Education Equity in Athletics Data, in 2010, EMU had the sixth smallest total athletic expenses in the Mid-American Conference.
If you mean to say that you believe that the football program’s budget is too high, then say so. But to say that EMU spends too much money on athletics because you believe our football team isn’t performing was extremely offensive to an athlete whose team’s budget is barely enough to get by.
Sincerely,
Katherine Anderson
