[Vision2020] Back to the Big Sky

[Nicholas Gier]

Greetings,

This is one of several AFT responses to the UI Vision Thingie.

                       BACK TO THE BIG SKY
                       Nick Gier, President
              Idaho Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
                      Dale Graden, President
       University of Idaho Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO

      After two years of financial exigency (FY 81 &82), a petition was circulated among UI
faculty about the use of appropriated funds for intercollegiate athletics. Over 120 signatures were
gathered on a resolution to eliminate that funding. The main point of the resolution was that
intercollegiate sports were not central to UI’s academic mission. The resolution was passed by
Faculty Council and sent to the UI administration.
     The faculty’s opinion on this crucial issue was ignored, because as early as 1987 the State
Board of Education authorized $665,500 for intercollegiate athletics, which grew to nearly $2
million for FY04, according to UI budget books.  Furthermore, while all UI programs were
required to make substantial cuts, $322,600 was added to the athletics budget for FY05, an
amount almost identical to what the liberal arts and social sciences had to give up. 
     When athletic departments across the nation report that their programs are profitable, they
usually include appropriated funds in their figures. If that money is removed from the budgets, the
national average for NCAA I-A schools is a $237,000 deficit, up from a $174,000 deficit in 1993. 
     The Vandal Scholarship Board recently boasted about a $615,000 profit for UI football, but this
becomes a $1.9 million deficit if appropriated and general fund monies are subtracted. The same
logic would apply to an academic department: it could not claim that it had made a profit unless
its external grants exceeded the appropriated funds given to it.
     We object to the tone and implication of the Vandal Scholarship Board’s recent statement
that declared: “Faculty, staff, and employees should get on board. The UI is committed to 1-A
athletics and it is time for the employees to step forward and support the program.” The faculty
has gone record to eliminate appropriated funds from UI athletics, and the UI moved to I-A
without proper consultation and approval from the faculty.  According to the UI Constitution, the
“immediate governance” of the university is in the hands of the faculty and we demand that faculty
self-determination be respected.
     UI athletic director Rob Spear recently reported substantial increases since 1996, the last
year that the UI was in the Big Sky Conference, in advertising revenues and guaranteed payouts
for its away games. We would like to know, however, whether these increases are balanced out
by more scholarships, increased travel costs, and fees now being paid to join the Western Athletic
Conference, a conference where we would compete poorly. 
     Returning to the Big Sky would reduce the number of scholarships required, would not
required us to add new sports, would reduce travel expenses considerably, would most likely
increase attendance, and therefore increase the economic benefits to the community.  Many more
visitors from regional teams would come to home games, and more locals would come to see the
Vandals play traditional opponents such as Eastern Washington, Montana, Montana State, and
Idaho State.
     The UI faculty has not received a pay raise in three years, so we are very dismayed to
learn that the second highest raise for FY04, $15,000, went to the UI basketball coach. In fact,
10.6 percent ($32,516) of the FY04 pay raises went to UI coaches, while UI coaches comprise
only 4.3 percent of faculty and exempt employees. 
     Our critics say that we should not wage class warfare against other staff members, but we
wish to reiterate that athletics is not an integral part of our mission, and we would be the last to
begrudge pay raises for classified staff who are essential to our goals as professional academics.
     We are especially disturbed that, even before receiving any input from the general faculty,
President White has declared that the UI will definitely join the Western Athletics Conference. We
are also concerned about statements from the UI new chief financial officer that the UI is not
spending enough to compete at the I-A level. Does this mean that he will recommend that even
more appropriated monies will be used to accomplish this? 
     We are further concerned about talk about building a larger football stadium, primarily
because the UI has yet to meet the required average attendance of 17,000 fans. The Kibbie Dome
is a fine and sufficient facility and the Big Sky is good enough for a small university with no
population base for increased attendance. We are quite willing to cheer “Go Vandals” but only in
the proper contexts of academics first and athletics second.