The Student Coalition on Reprioritizing Education hosted a public forum last night on the topic of institutional control of the University’s athletics department and featured a panel of special guests.
The panel included professors Nathan Tublitz@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=staff&d=person&b=name&s=Nathan+Tublitz@@ and Bill Harbaugh —@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=staff&d=person&b=name&s=Harbaugh@@ both on the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee of University Senate — Laurel Hess@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Laurel+Hess+@@ of the women’s club rugby team and Lena Macomson@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Lena+Macomson@@ of the women’s varsity tennis team.
Students were able to ask each panelist questions on a range of topics, from financial transparency and academic subsidies paying for athletic operations to coach salaries and special benefits.
“It’s a nightmare,” Harbaugh said. “The athletics department has been extremely secretive in the past and still is.”
He lectured on the economic implications of academic subsidies for the athletic department and how it effects students.
“We are an academic institution,” Tublitz commented. “Not a business.”
The issue of transparency was thoroughly discussed by the group. While each panelist had different things to say on the problem, they all felt that it is at the root of the whole discrepancy between academics and athletics.
“I think transparency is where the disconnect begins,”@@what do you mean by ‘transparency’?@@ Macomson said. “I think that it is one of the biggest issues we have to deal with.”
Hess also spoke on issues between club sports and intercollegiate athletics. She says the athletic department has refused club sports access to facilities on multiple occasions.
“They don’t want a relationship with us on any level,” she said.
Macomson said she will be scheduling a meeting with athletic director Rob Mullens@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=staff&d=person&b=name&s=Rob+Mullens@@ to discuss issues surrounding transparency in order to get the student-athlete opinion heard.
The discussion lasted two hours and hosted informative arguments between participants. Many of the audience were able to politely agree or disagree with each of the panelists on each issue, making it a good atmosphere for public debate.
“I think that it was great to have such an open and intricate dialogue on this issue,” SCORE coordinator Andrew Rodgers said. “It hasn’t happened yet, and I hope this is the first step in a process that continues to grow of an open and frank dialogue between athletics and the academic mission of the University.”
SCORE is holding a rally March 1 on the issue of getting the athletic department to make a financial contribution towards the academic side of the University. Any students who agree with this mission are encouraged to join.