Athletics, academics vie for dollars

From an outsider's perspective UTC would seem to be like any other ordinary college. Students scatter across campus to their next classes as fast as their legs will carry them. Faculty members work tirelessly to get papers and exams graded before midterm grades are due. Life at UTC seems normal until you learn about the war going on between faculty members and the athletic department.The conflict between these two groups is over budget money and how that money is to be spent at UTC. The faculty members want the majority of the funds to be spent on things pertaining mainly to academics, while representatives from the athletic department want the best for Mocs athletics.

For several years now the battle has raged, but this year it has gained strength because of poor economic conditions. Both sides are determined to get their way, and the gloves are coming off in a hurry.

To make matters worse thousands of students have had to endure decades of bad football teams that have ended up costing the university huge sums of money.

This year's team was no different from the ones in the past. According to the budget documents provided by the university, the amount of money it costs to keep the football team afloat for this year was in the range of $2.8 million.

And what did the football team and its coaches give in return? How about one win and 11 losses?

For those of you who are not familiar with college athletics, $2.8 million is a very small number compared to the top spenders in the country. Ohio State, for example, incurred expenses of $25.7 million in 2005, but brought in $51.8 million in revenue for its football team alone. The University of Georgia ranked in the middle of the pack of the top spenders in college football for 2005. Georgia spent $12.5 million on football, but their revenue was $50.9 million.

UTC, on the other hand, reported only $710,966 in revenue for the 2008-2009 season, which leaves the university more than $2 million in the red.

It goes without saying that UTC is in no way, shape or form able to compete financially with the likes of Ohio State or Georgia. Nonetheless, an athletic program should support itself. Faculty senate president Pedro Campa feels the same way. In a recent article written by Joan Garrett of The Chattanooga Times Free Press, professor Campa explained his stance on the issue and why he is opposed to big spending by the athletic program while the university barely passes on the scraps.

The faculty senate president said he and his colleagues agree on one thing: academics shouldn't suffer while athletics is given more and more money. He also posed the questions, "What is a university for?" and "What is the main function of the university?"

He and many of his fellow staff members believe the university's most important goal to provide the best education possible. Athletics is nothing more than a bonus.

The community feels the same way and shows its disinterest by also avoiding the home football games at Finley Stadium. Attendance for home football games hit an all-time low this year. According to Garrett's article and information provided by the university, the average attendance for home games in the 2008-2009 season was 5,767. Finley Stadium seats 20,688, according to gomocs.com.

This number, 5,767, is most likely inflated and includes the number of workers present at the games. Yes, that number includes concession stand employees, paramedics, reporters and other support staff. Additionally, the university reported attendance was down eight percent from last year, the second lowest in Finley Stadium history and the lowest average home game attendance in the Southern Conference.

No matter how bad the facts and figures are, UTC officials still see Mocs football as a productive and integral branch of the university. According to those UTC officials, athletics adds a lot to the university experience, and the athletic department had made strides to increase revenue.

Making strides is one thing, but making them in quicksand is another. The university is losing money, and the decision makers are too stubborn to fix the problem for good.

You might be asking yourself how the university keeps the football ship afloat or how they can justify maintaining a program that's hemorrhaging money like a George W. Bush national budget.

Don't worry. You aren't alone. UTC students and faculty are left out of the loop. They don't know how the money gets to the athletic department, and the administrators like that way.

This deceptive plan for diverting money to the athletic department is probably one of the contributing factors for student, faculty and community apathy toward the football program. Every year the apathy grows more as the team barely keeps its head above water, but the athletic department keeps it around for another season of beatings and dwindling revenues.

The university has only one option for the football team and that is to cut the Mocs. It is without question the best decision for all parties involved. While it will be difficult for alumni to see their team go, it will be the best for the university in the long run.

Unfortunately, Finely Stadium will sit dormant for years to come, wither-away slowly and eventually become another deserted landmark in south Chattanooga. Honestly, that would not be too much of a change from what's going on right now.

The stadium will serve as a stark reminder of the ignorance, arrogance and mismanagement at the hands of UTC administrators that lead to the downfall of a once proud football program.

Those of you who agree that UTC football needs to be booted once and for all have the power to make this change. Calling the university and voicing your opinion is one way to end the football fiasco. Another way, which is perhaps more effective, is to hit the university where it hurts the most: the wallet.