Editors' Note: This Media Massage column is a little later than usual, because it was, in its original form, a letter to the editor of the Star-Ledger. It was printed today. (For some reason, it is not available online.)
Robert E. Mulcahy, in defending the Rutgers' football program, ["Football helps Rutgers reach its goal," 11.1.06] points to "a small but vocal group of people who say they are troubled by the team's success." I consider myself a part of this minority, as someone who has repeatedly called into question the focus on football. Mulcahy argues that "the program" -- not the University as a whole, mind you -- "is successfully balancing athletic and academic success." He then goes on to site the academic success of student-athletes at Rutgers.
All this is fine and well, but what Mulcahy doesn't mention in his op-ed are the drastic cuts -- $50 million worth -- in academic programs, staff and student services (not to mention other sports), that are being felt all across the University. For Rutgers to cut so much academic funding while not cutting funding for football is bad enough. But for Rutgers officials to make the argument that the football team's success is somehow going to "help Rutgers reach its goal" of being a world-class public institution and not even address the cuts is disgusting.
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