Unfair basketball seating swap at KU’s Allen Fieldhouse

A recent seating rearrangement at Allen Fieldhouse reminded University of Kansas students that their interests are sometimes subordinate to the power of money.

Last semester, the Student Senate agreed to reduce student contributions to Kansas Athletics by $350,000 per year.

Ostensibly to compensate, Kansas Athletics announced that it would allocate 120 of the best student seats in the fieldhouse to Williams Education Fund donors.

But this is a university. Tuition-paying, debt-straddled students should be the priority.

Kansas associate athletic director Jim Marchiony, in an impressive feat of evasion and blame deflection, said the Student Senate “made it very clear that it wanted the athletic department to find other ways to raise revenue.”

This is painfully contrived. The Student Senate felt able to relieve an unnecessary financial burden on students because Kansas Athletics is currently flush with record-breaking profits.

In 2013, Kansas Athletics reported $93 million in revenue against $79.7 million in expenditures. The rapid increase in television revenue boosted the profit.

In the absence of evidence that the $350,000 cut will have any discernible negative impact on KU athletics, this decision should be recognized for what it is: an avaricious ploy to pump a few extra dollars into Kansas Athletics’ already crammed coffers.

This story was originally published June 22, 2014 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Unfair basketball seating swap at KU’s Allen Fieldhouse."