During the university-wide forum Tuesday afternoon, I and several of my colleagues were in attendance and heard a student ask the very pertinent question about athletic department budget cuts. 

It was not the question posed that prompted this response, but rather the almost palpable glee in the room when informed the athletics department was undergoing budget cuts just like the rest of the university. 

I almost thought people were going to start applauding. My first feeling was anger, but this quickly dissipated and was instead replaced with a sense of resolve.

The attitude in the room made it imminently obvious that there still remains a sense of mystery around campus as to “What goes on over there at Collins?”

I decided to turn my dismay into a teachable moment, especially in the area of athletic recruiting … one of the areas that seems to be a bit misunderstood.

When we see a fellow coach in the hallway, one of the most common greetings is “How’s recruiting going?”

Recruiting quality student-athletes to Baker is a huge part of our job, one we take on willingly and with enthusiasm. 

We spend countless hours traveling to remote gyms and high schools, on the phone, writing letters and e-mails, attending signings and watching kids play for the specific purpose of bringing those students to Baker. 

Many kids we identify have never heard of Baker University before we approach them, and almost all would not be coming without the recruiting efforts of the coaches.  

Coaches work very, very hard at recruiting, because getting talented kids to Baker is the lifeblood of our athletic programs.

Athletics is also the lifeblood of our campus.

Our kids are very passionate about their chosen sports and have put a great deal of time, effort and money into their training.

Many of them are good enough athletes to play for bigger schools and larger scholarships, almost all could choose to play for a less expensive school … a junior college or state school.

Good athletes who are also good students usually have their choice of institutions to attend.

But for one reason or another, some weigh the options and decide to come to Baker.

The one constant for virtually every athlete on our rosters is that they were identified and recruited to Baker by a coach.

These kids would not be considering Baker otherwise.

They come here because they want to compete in athletics and get a good education.

With almost half the student body involved in athletics, it stands to reason the athletic department budget would be the largest on campus.

We represent the largest group of students.

Naturally it takes money to fund athletic programs just as it takes money to stage a play, put on a concert, travel to a foreign country or dissect a frog in a well-equipped lab.

But the costs are also relative to the numbers and to the value that well-run sports programs can bring to a university. 

Imagine for just one minute what Baker would be like if all our sports programs ceased to exist.

It would be a bleak environment indeed.

So to answer this young man’s question about budget cuts: Yes, our budgets have been cut to the bone, and virtually every spare dime has been salvaged to help balance the budget for this fiscal year. 

But in the meantime, we are still recruiting kids to come to this great school because we believe in our mission, our faculty, our administration and our programs.

The next time you find yourself secretly cheering because athletics had a budget cut, remember that you may actually be cheering for the possibility of empty classrooms.     

Kathy Allen<br/>Head Volleyball CoachHead Volleyball Coach
Head Volleyball Coach