Spring Break
Editorial: 'Cracks' in the foundation?
Issue date: 3/27/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion
03/27/09 - A routine sports match ended up in utter embarrassment for the University of Rhode Island yesterday afternoon, after Quinnipiac University refused to play on the "unsafe" tennis courts.
A large crack in the courts wasted the time of both the coaches and the players and to any fans that came to watch the match. Though it's obvious that the university is in an economic conundrum, it's time to save face and prioritize.
Too many things on campus are deteriorating before the community's eyes. Buildings are unsightly, potholes make driving on campus a nightmare and now the weather conditions have made the courts unbearable.
The university needs to look outside of federal or allocated funds and work on its fundraising skills. If sports are as important as people make them out to be, they should be willing to cough up a little cash to keep the leisure activities on campus abundant.
It came to no surprise to Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn, who said he has received complaints about the lackluster condition of URI's courts.
Earlier this year, the Cigar wrote an article on the mysterious conditions of the Mackal Field House basketball courts, which were melting with no apparent cause or solution. The university called two flooring companies in Rhode Island, that all had different ideas on how to fix the problem, at an expensive cost.
The university's temporary solution? Throw tarps on the courts.
For a school that prides itself on its athletics, and for all the alumni funds that help out the sports programs, one must wonder where exactly all the money is going, if not to fix the fields and areas that athletes compete on.
This school year, the university has gone through an entirely new branding process, touting URI's staff and students for their research capabilities. But URI is still a division one school - a major attraction for many incoming freshmen is the chance to play at a seemingly high-ranked sporting institution, along with their academic inclinations.
But if the courts are either cracked or melting, and more and more universities outright say "No" to playing on the university's sporting venues, the sports community will have a tough time defending its credibility in competitions.
The academia at URI is something to be proud of, with a wide variety of classes and majors that students can take advantage of. It's time for athletes to put their thinking caps on, and come up with a monetary solution to what could become a much bigger problem for sports.
A large crack in the courts wasted the time of both the coaches and the players and to any fans that came to watch the match. Though it's obvious that the university is in an economic conundrum, it's time to save face and prioritize.
Too many things on campus are deteriorating before the community's eyes. Buildings are unsightly, potholes make driving on campus a nightmare and now the weather conditions have made the courts unbearable.
The university needs to look outside of federal or allocated funds and work on its fundraising skills. If sports are as important as people make them out to be, they should be willing to cough up a little cash to keep the leisure activities on campus abundant.
It came to no surprise to Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn, who said he has received complaints about the lackluster condition of URI's courts.
Earlier this year, the Cigar wrote an article on the mysterious conditions of the Mackal Field House basketball courts, which were melting with no apparent cause or solution. The university called two flooring companies in Rhode Island, that all had different ideas on how to fix the problem, at an expensive cost.
The university's temporary solution? Throw tarps on the courts.
For a school that prides itself on its athletics, and for all the alumni funds that help out the sports programs, one must wonder where exactly all the money is going, if not to fix the fields and areas that athletes compete on.
This school year, the university has gone through an entirely new branding process, touting URI's staff and students for their research capabilities. But URI is still a division one school - a major attraction for many incoming freshmen is the chance to play at a seemingly high-ranked sporting institution, along with their academic inclinations.
But if the courts are either cracked or melting, and more and more universities outright say "No" to playing on the university's sporting venues, the sports community will have a tough time defending its credibility in competitions.
The academia at URI is something to be proud of, with a wide variety of classes and majors that students can take advantage of. It's time for athletes to put their thinking caps on, and come up with a monetary solution to what could become a much bigger problem for sports.
