The reporter tells the story straight, without a hint of irony: Football and basketball success has created a $1.2 million deficit for the obscure, already-struggling, school. SOU didn’t figure their teams would actually win games; it has no reserve fund; it overlooked the fact that almost no one buys tickets to its games; and it seems to have forgotten to budget for team travel. SOU also forgot that the school is located in a state whose constant economic turmoil means constant cutbacks at its public universities. Whoops!
No, no irony detectable in this article about it from a local booster rag; and certainly no derision, which is abundantly deserved…
Paging Bernie: How are you planning to sell America on your free public university tuition plan when this is the way public universities spend our money?
March 7th, 2016 at 4:54PM
in 2013, Southern Oregon University was forced to fire faculty and close academic departments due to a budget crisis and falling enrollment.
chronicle.com/article/Faculty-Layoffs-May-Be-Coming/37841
The school is spending money on developing an athletic program that doesn’t work in recruiting undergrads. The OP mentions that the championship game that SOU won was played in Florida, so how many SOU fans made the trip? From the OP pic, no one, other than the teams, showed up to the game. So what in the hell is the point?
March 7th, 2016 at 4:59PM
charlie: Yes, that photo says it all.