2008 Woodie Awards
Talk back: Letter to the Editor (Randy Doss on Athletics)
In response to letter from 3/18
Issue date: 3/25/05 Section: Forum
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I am writing in response to last week's editorial from Michael Waddell '91 concerning athletics at Guilford.
The new Guilford believes in facts and data-based decision-making; a part of the old Guilford believes in a "fact-free zone" where anything can be asserted without proof and criticism is the only mode of expression.
Many of the facts I will provide here have already been made in previous correspondence with Mr. Waddell. Mr. Waddell has chosen to ignore almost all of them in his Guilfordian editorial.
Here we go again but now for the benefit of everyone with an open mind and appreciation for data.
Under President Chabotar's leadership, Guilford College is emerging from a decade of financial crisis. We have made major investments in virtually every aspect of college and community life, including providing hard-working coaches and other employees with three pay raises in two years after two years of no raises at all.
Nevertheless, we still have work to do. Salaries lag behind the market and especially faculty salaries. No division or department has enough money.
For every person who believes that athletics is under-funded, someone else argues that we spend too much on athletics and not enough on the academic program, residential life or some other "priority."
For example, even though 25 percent of our traditional students participate in intercollegiate athletics, a few senior faculty members criticized Kent after his inaugural address in 2003 because they deemed the 3 percent of the speech he spent on athletics to be "excessive."
Pleasing everyone on any college campus is impossible.
The academic program is the core business of Guilford College. I believe virtually everyone would agree that a student's experience outside the classroom is also critical.
Since 2002, the College has invested heavily in a variety of related capital projects including a $2 million renovation of Duke Hall, new equipment and space in Frank, new furniture and paint for Bryan, exterior paint on and windows on virtually every building on campus, and $1 million for a new terrace and gazebo for Founders Hall plus interior systems improvements.
The new Guilford believes in facts and data-based decision-making; a part of the old Guilford believes in a "fact-free zone" where anything can be asserted without proof and criticism is the only mode of expression.
Many of the facts I will provide here have already been made in previous correspondence with Mr. Waddell. Mr. Waddell has chosen to ignore almost all of them in his Guilfordian editorial.
Here we go again but now for the benefit of everyone with an open mind and appreciation for data.
Under President Chabotar's leadership, Guilford College is emerging from a decade of financial crisis. We have made major investments in virtually every aspect of college and community life, including providing hard-working coaches and other employees with three pay raises in two years after two years of no raises at all.
Nevertheless, we still have work to do. Salaries lag behind the market and especially faculty salaries. No division or department has enough money.
For every person who believes that athletics is under-funded, someone else argues that we spend too much on athletics and not enough on the academic program, residential life or some other "priority."
For example, even though 25 percent of our traditional students participate in intercollegiate athletics, a few senior faculty members criticized Kent after his inaugural address in 2003 because they deemed the 3 percent of the speech he spent on athletics to be "excessive."
Pleasing everyone on any college campus is impossible.
The academic program is the core business of Guilford College. I believe virtually everyone would agree that a student's experience outside the classroom is also critical.
Since 2002, the College has invested heavily in a variety of related capital projects including a $2 million renovation of Duke Hall, new equipment and space in Frank, new furniture and paint for Bryan, exterior paint on and windows on virtually every building on campus, and $1 million for a new terrace and gazebo for Founders Hall plus interior systems improvements.
