Rutgers’ millions

‘ ‘ ‘ Ah, Thanksgiving. Amid all the turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, so many of us have… ‘ ‘ ‘ Ah, Thanksgiving. Amid all the turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, so many of us have forgotten the true meaning of this joyous holiday: football … and giving thanks, of course. ‘ ‘ ‘ We have not forgotten the true meaning of Thanksgiving, however. This is why we decided to get into the holiday spirit and reflect upon something for which we are very grateful.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ We are thankful that Pitt is not Rutgers University. Why? Rutgers has carelessly shelled out millions and millions of dollars in order to fulfill its dream of becoming a football powerhouse. The problem is that the money is coming from raising tuition costs and cutbacks in the budgets of various academic departments. All of this is taking place with little to no supervision from Rutgers University president Richard McCormick and the University Board of Governors, according to The New York Times. ‘ ‘ ‘ Now, Pitt spends its fair share of money, but Pitt is no Rutgers. The University would never spend so much, so irresponsibly on football. ‘ ‘ ‘ According to ESPN, Rutgers’ spending included four multi-million-dollar deals with football coach Greg Schiano. McCormick appointed a review committee last summer after a local newspaper reported reckless and unruly spending at the university, including ‘thousands of dollars in off-the-books spending, contract sweeteners and side letters for Schiano that were not made public,’ according to ESPN. ‘ ‘ ‘ The review committee assessed the situation and issued a critical report condemning McCormick for allowing the athletic department to operate without sufficient oversight and for ‘too passive in exercising his authority,’ according to the Times. ‘ ‘ ‘ We could not agree more. It’s true that a high-quality sports program can make a university much money and increase its prestige. But tuition should not increase and academics should never be sacrificed for the sake of a few wins. ‘ ‘ ‘ McCormick seems to have made a choice: football over the academic well-being of students. But what McCormick doesn’t seem to realize is that it does not have to be either-or. A great football program can exist without increasing tuition or taking away from academic budgets. It wouldn’t be as simple, but through donations, fund-raising or investments, Rutgers could better its football program the right way. ‘ ‘ ‘ But in allowing this situation to occur, McCormick failed as a university president and, as a result, is jeopardizing the scholastic integrity of his institution. McCormick must reassert himself as an authority figure and take control of the decisions of the athletic department. He should put an end to irresponsible spending and put Rutgers on the path most beneficial to its students. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ This controversy makes us thankful that Pitt isn’t foolish enough to spend so much money on football. Just basketball.