Athletics deserve thanks

Last Saturday’s article, “EWU budget plan cuts $13.3 million, raises tuition,” highlights a faculty member’s complaint about EWU athletics. You know there is a budget crisis at Eastern Washington University when members of faculty complain publicly about the athletic budget. If there are university faculty in heaven, they are complaining to Him about the athletic budget.

I have disagreements with Dr. Rodolfo Arévalo on the budget cuts, but I think he has made a sincere effort to spread the cuts fairly throughout the campus community. That is a significant departure from the past.

There is more to a university than the classroom. There is a responsibility to grow students socially as well as intellectually. The EWU athletic department plays a crucial role within our community toward that development.

The athletic department at EWU is staffed by men and women dedicated to improving the lives of several hundred students. They not only teach the mechanics of a sport but more importantly the skills to succeed in life. They teach responsibility, dedication, hard work and discipline. They teach teamwork and the success that can be achieved by working together to achieve goals.

We should be thanking the athletic department for their service to our students.

Tom McArthur

Spokane