Cutting from Athletics is Not the Solution

No matter how many times you hear Democrats saying, "Times are getting better" or Republicans simply spouting back "No," it seems like times have not changed that much over the span of a year and a half, at least at Longwood. Budget dilemmas continue to plague the front offices.

More tuition increases are reportedly on the way, and as many would expect, the money that is not being cut is the same money being fought over by departments, clubs, or organizations like kids over the last piece of pizza. One of the worst indicators of the mounting frustration resulting from these troubled times is the all-powerful index finger; especially the finger pointed in one direction.

It's only natural that times of unrest bring about the want to fix them. It's also natural that the emotion surrounding that want to correct the situation quickly sometimes draws incorrect conclusions.

The example that has been most prevalent on campus these days is a handful of faculty and students who support the idea that, in order to help balance the budget, a portion of funding should be cut from athletics. To further investigate the debate, one only needs to search Facebook for one of two groups: "Longwood is Division I...Let's keep it that way" or "Education before Athletics."

Going beyond whether or not cutting funding would help resolve the budget crises, most advocates of the idea present such arguments as Longwood has always been a small school, that athletics only makes the school bigger, and that the people who chose to attend this university did so under the ideas of close teacher-student relationships and the attachment to the small-school environment.

The overall argument from most advocates of the idea seems to be that increased attention to athletics means less attention to the quality of education.

According to a resolution proposed by Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) Chair Brian Bates, just over $2,000 comes out of students' comprehensive fee and into athletics. Is that a pretty large chunk of change? Yes, but now I will attempt to put in my two cents and put some things into perspective.

First of all, when most students think of UVA, Virginia Tech, James Madison University, they think first of the Cavaliers, the Hokies, and the Dukes. True, not everyone does, but it's a matter of fact that the majority of students coming out of high school consider the athletics of a school as part of their decision.

I know, before we go any further, that Longwood has been known as a small school, and that it cannot necessarily be compared to such big institutions. However, what can unequivocally be concluded is that sport is an inter-woven part of society today. In addition, the goal of any university, business, or team is to grow and compete. Well Longwood will not be able to compete forever as a small rural school with no emphasis on athletics, and that's just the way it is.

Even at little ole' Longwood University, the quality of athletics will determine the quality of education in the long run. Better athletics means more money to the university, and more money to the university means.well.more money.

In the end, good professors are good professors, and the basketball team winning or losing more games will not change the quality of that professor's lessons, or the students' opinions of said professor.

Also, if students fear that jobs at the university might be affected by the attention to athletics, then one must also consider the other side; the coaches, athletes, and administrators that have worked tirelessly to get athletics to where it is.

Let's not forget, the move to Division I did not happen overnight. It took close to five years to make a reality, and once the transition was made complete, that meant that coaches have to work more, travel more for recruiting, and the student athletes have to work harder to win.

For the record, if you want to talk about a school's educational reputation, what do you suppose might happen if, after all the time, effort, and money spent on the transition to Division I, Longwood suddenly slipped to Division II or III because of lack of funds?

This would be an utter embarrassment to all that helped make it possible, including Dr. Cormier. What it also might show to perspective students is a lack of commitment from the student body, possibly discouraging those students to attend.

Still afraid of Longwood University growing to a size that takes away from its uniqueness as a result of athletics? Two words: Wake Forest.

Here are a couple of things to know about Wake Forest: made an appearance in the NCAA Basketball Final Four, competes in one of the biggest conferences the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), fills up the stands at football and basketball games.

Ready for this one? Attendance: just over 4,000. What this should say to all those fearing change is stay calm and be patient. Conference affiliation is coming soon, and once this happens, alumni and boosters will want to contribute more funds, ultimately meaning fewer funds from students.

If nothing else, this debate should teach us that athletics isn't going anywhere, and the quality of education isn't going anywhere, at least anytime soon. Having said this, the university should work to improve both aspects, ultimately bringing those prospective UVA and Virginia Tech students to Farmville.