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Last week, when the Academic Program Prioritization Working Group recommended $12.2 million worth of cuts to academic programs, resources and personnel, many students were up in arms about the changes. The plan would eliminate 16 majors and 80 faculty members by 2014.
In addition, six fewer master’s degrees will be offered and seven other majors will be merged into three.
The first argument respondents posed on The Maine Campus Web site was that the university should be eliminating athletic programs instead of academics. A commenter named “Laura” said the athletics department adds “zero academic value to the school.” It seems anyone who is not interested in sports points to cutting them instead of cutting programs that do not have enough enrollees to make it worth the university’s while to keep.
Last year, the country fell into an economic recession. The nation is starting to recover, but it is still feeling the effects. Last spring, the athletic department made cuts, eliminating two sports programs — volleyball and men’s soccer. Now, the athletic department has been asked to shave its budget again, cutting at least $300,000 before the 2011 fiscal year begins in July.
The logical argument for those who dislike sports is to just keep eliminating athletic programs. The University of Maine is known for two things: a top-notch engineering program and a national powerhouse in men’s hockey. Other universities such as North Carolina and Duke have great academics, but the first thing that comes to mind when they are mentioned is their men’s basketball teams.
In college, academics should be the top priority, but schools have to have a secondary appeal. Eliminating more sports programs would be detrimental to the UMaine experience and landscape. Imagine having Alfond Arena, Alfond Stadium and Mahaney Diamond sitting on the campus unused because of budget cuts. If UMaine didn’t have another attractive element in addition to academics, the school wouldn’t be as appealing and would lose what many think of as the chief entertainment on campus.
There is a flaw in the argument that sports teams add no academic value. The ancient Greeks advocated having both a healthy body and a healthy mind, so as to be physically and intellectually strong. That same message should be sent today, and eliminating sports would send the opposite message.
Student-athletes not only get in great physical shape, but they acquire skills that cannot be attained in a classroom. Leadership and time management are two of the chief skills gained in playing sports. Athletes develop into well-rounded people instead of bookworms who never leave the library or acquire social skills needed in the real world.
UMaine athletics has taken cuts and will continue to do so, but it’s not fair to cut all sports, as some are advocating. A large portion of the department’s operating budget is self-generated. Coaches don’t only focus on the product they put on the field, but instead spend a lot of their time fundraising — a critical part of their sports existence.
It is never a good thing when programs have to be cut — academic or athletics. But cuts are a part of today’s world. I am sympathetic toward those who may be forced to switch schools or majors because their programs are being changed, but the idea of eliminating sports is a shortsighted one.
All parts of the university are suffering, including athletics, which has had to deal with cuts across the board. However, with the football, baseball and field hockey teams having their facilities recently upgraded, eliminating those sports is unreasonable. There will be budget cuts, and people will certainly be affected. However, sports are a sanctuary away from academics, providing student-athletes necessary skills to be successful after college.
Adam Clark is sports editor for The Maine Campus.
