LIKE MANY college students, particularly out-of-state students at a state university, I am often asked why I chose to enroll at the University. I can cite all the national rankings, or talk about the active student body, student self-governance and the hundreds of opportunities for involvement outside of the classroom. The truth of it is though, I wouldn't have chosen to attend the University if it didn't possess strong athletic programs. This is not to say I chose the University based solely on the football team's last bowl appearance or the basketball team's AP ranking. Simply, I could not imagine attending a school where sports were insignificant.
Athletes receive preferential treatment during the admissions process, but that's okay. This is true from Division III colleges to Ivy League schools - which do not give athletic scholarships - to large state-funded universities. And there is no reason for this practice to change. It's true that a number of athletes, who would not normally have been admitted, are courted by the University and given scholarships. But these men and women more than justify their presence here.
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Sports provide the University with intense school spirit and some semblance of unity. Serious issues aren't going to be solved by disparate groups sitting next to one another at a soccer game. Athletic events, however, provide a forum where a wide variety of people can - and do - come together to cheer for a common cause.
It may not lead to worldwide or even University-wide peace, but sports do allow University students to experience something together. Recent examples have been the recent basketball victory over Duke, the embarrassing football loss in last season's bowl game or the men's lacrosse team's 1999 national championship.
The athletic department also takes care of itself financially. Last year, according to the Equality in Athletics Disclosure Act report, expenses exceeded revenue by only $111,313. While it would certainly be preferable for athletic revenue to exceed expenses, according to figures in that same report, this difference comprised only 0.016 percent of the University's total expenses.
The top profile sports, football and basketball, are criticized most often for their lax academic standards in admissions. These same sports contribute 56.5 percent of the athletic department's revenue. Without their presence, national prominence and the money that attention brings, the University would not easily be able to afford less lucrative sports such as golf or track and field. Without significant football and basketball programs, it would be impossible financially for the University to fund the 12 women's teams it does. Women's teams use only 18.7 percent of the athletic budget while only contributing 1.8 percent of the revenue. Men's teams use 47.6 percent of the budget, and rightly so, for they earn the vast majority of revenue. The other 33.8 percent of the budget is not allocated by gender.
Contrary to common stereotypes, many University student athletes perform well in the classroom. This past summer, 202 University student athletes were on the Atlantic Coast Conference Honor Roll, meaning they earned a 3.0 or better GPA for the entire academic year. Out of last year's 787 student athletes, just over 25 percent of University athletes made the honor roll.
Virginia student athletes also stack up well academically against the rest of the nation. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association statistics from 1993 - the most recent date that organization posted statistics - 79 percent of U.Va. student athletes on scholarships graduate. This is compared to 58 percent of Division I scholarship athletes nationally.
At a school with rigorous academics, where even students who do not have the huge time commitment of a varsity sport often struggle, these numbers are at least acceptable, if not impressive. Student athlete academic performance should only improve with the Strategic Planning Task Force for Athletics which, according to Inside U.Va. Online's Jan. 14-20, 2000 issue, lists one of three stressed areas as "academic and student life" (http://www.virginia.edu/insideuva/).
Athletes may be given a break in admissions, and the preparatory academic standards set for them may be lower than those for the rest of the student body. However, athletes more than justify their presence at the University through the national exposure they bring.
Few, if any, non-athletes will choose a school based on its most recent national championship or its Sears Cup ranking - a ranking of schools' athletic programs. However, the coverage garnered by strong sports teams exposes a national audience to the University. In this way athletes are an invaluable marketing and recruiting tool.
Athletes essentially work for the University. They practice and play as often as students might work at part-time jobs. However, they receive no direct monetary compensation, nor should they.
Their compensation is that their athletic abilities are considered, although not with disregard to academic competence, in admissions. This is a favor student athletes deserve and earn during their time at the University.
(Megan Moyer's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at mmoyer@cavalierdaily.com.)
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