On June 5, the DAILY NEWS reported that Ball State's athletic department was considering the cutting of six athletic programs because of budgetary concerns.
Not surprisingly, the story was greeted with much debate. Most vocal readers opposed the cuts and tended to think there must be other ways for the athletic department to solve its money problems.
Students and alumni make up the majority of the DAILY NEWS' readership.
Oddly, the ad hoc committee appointed by athletic director Bubba Cunningham included no student representation.
Additionally, the athletic committee, which seats three student members, held a meeting on June 10 regarding the proposed cuts. The student representatives were not present.
To be fair, those three students were supposedly invited, but regardless, the meeting was held without them.
That this debate is occurring during the summer is another issue. The majority of the student body is away, potentially unaware of campus events that will directly affect them in the fall.
Besides the opinions of student athletes, no student voices are officially involved in this decision.
The next public meeting on the issue will be the Board of Trustees meeting on July 18, which falls on the final day of the summer session and one day after DAILY NEWS stops publication for the remainder of the summer.
President Blaine Brownell's July issue of "President's Perspective," which addressed the proposal, has been the only direct communication between the administration and the university community.
But the average student does not receive the "President's Perspective," which is mainly directed to university employees and some graduate students.
On Sunday, The Star Press of Muncie published a guest column from Brownell regarding the proposal. To date, there has been no word from Brownell in the DAILY NEWS forum.
Why not address the Ball State community, rather than the predominantly indifferent Muncie community?
The university is partially run by fees that students pay -- one of which, the dedicated student fee, helps to pay for athletics.
Yet, it appears that the administration is trying to avoid communication with its student backbone.
This is an insult to all students, regardless of their opinions.
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