'Four professors at California State University, Fresno want an independent committee to investigate why as much as $773,000 in corporate donations were spent on athletics instead of academics.

Fresno State acknowledged earlier this year that it directed hundreds of thousands of dollars earmarked for academic programs to sports from 1997 to 2003.

"Everyone seems very upset among the faculty, and nobody seems to be doing anything about it," said Chris Golston, one of four linguistics professors who wrote a letter last week asking the Academic Senate to form a committee to investigate the donations.

The university has brought in an outside lawyer and auditors to review the problem, and has promised to make the findings public.

The professors say university officials shouldn't pick the investigators who are reviewing the actions of university officials.

"Mistakes do happen and it is our responsibility to fix problems when they are found," said university President John Welty in a letter posted on the school's Web site last month. "Fresno State has acted responsibly on this issue and will continue to do so in the future."'