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Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern The George-Anne Student Media 2-16-1999 The George-Anne Georgia Southern University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/george-anne Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Georgia Southern University, "The George-Anne" (1999). The George-Anne. 1578. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/george-anne/1578 This newspaper is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Media at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in The George-Anne by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Covering the campus like a swarm of gnats The Official Student Newspaper of Georgia Southern University This Week's Weather Today Wediesday Thursday Friday Partly cloudy Isolated t- Partly cloudy Partly cloudy with a high of storms with a with a high of with a high of 69 and a low high of 70 and 69 and a low 64 and a low of 39. a low of 63. of 48. of 49. BLUE EDITION Tuesday Baker explains decision to cut teams February 16,1999 By Kelley McGonnell the department had Vol. 71, No. 56 Editor hoped so the additions Athletic Director Sam Baker attended the SGA meet- were postponed. Sports ing last Wednesday to answer questions about the How are these CURIOUS decision to drop men's swimming and diving and cross cuts not considered ATTENDEES (left) country. discriminatory? pay close attention to Questions were submitted to SGA President Russell "[The programs] were the question-answer Keen on index cards by the senate, many student- cut because they are session regarding the athletes and more than 100 other interested students. sports that were looked dropping of men's Keen asked Baker the questions in an attempt to avoid at as possibly being cut," swimming, diving and repetition. he said. "The courts have cross country. The following is a look at the questions asked and not seen institutions that Baker's responses. have discontinued sports What part of Title IX is GSU trying to comply as being discriminatory GSU gets swept with? towards men." by Ga.Tech There are three parts to Title LX and GSU must comply "This is the unfortu- With their opening with at least one. The university must either have athletic nate part of Title IX," Baker said. "That there games, Eagles go to 0- participation that is proportional to the overall under- graduate enrollment, must show a history of sports expan- are financial limitations 2, losing to Tech sion or must accommodate the interests and abilities of the and institutions have to ADDRESSING HIS AUDIENCE, Sam Baker.GSU Saturday and Sunday. underrepresented sex, according to the three-part test live within budgets and athletic director, answers questions posed by the Please see story, prescribed by the Office for Civil Rights. when they make deci- audience at last Wednesday's SGA meeting. The sions on what sports they meeting was a regular-scheduled SGA meeting, but page 6 "The problem with dealing with Title IX is that a lot of people don't always fully understand it," Baker said. are going to sponsor Baker was invited as a guest to address the concerns Features "We are trying to increase our participation rate, but at sometimes they have to of many students due to the dropping of three men's the same time the prong of the Title IX test that we are make difficult decisions sports programs at GSU to suit Title IX requirements. trying to meet is 'meet the interests and abilities of the on discontinuing sports Photos by Sarah Trucksis underrepresented sex within our student body" — also in order to add sports." the potential student body, those that are in our poten- Why does it appear that there are 30 more "Right now we run a pretty bare bones athletic de- tial recruiting area." football players this year opposed to last year? partment," Baker said. "Our equipment budgets are He said that adding the programs caused a problem Baker explained that the discrepancy is obvious in official pretty slim as they are. We travel on $18 a day when the because the athletic department did not have the money numbers only. The official count depends on the number of state allows $25 per diem to travel. I don't think there to fund the additional programs. players at the first game, and on the quarter system the first was a lot of money in there to glean from other programs "[Title IX] also causes you to have to be able to fund game was played before classes started. Walk-on players in order for us to have a competitive program." your scholarships at the same level that your participa- cannot be added until after classes have started. Because the new sports would be scholarship sports tion rates are," Baker said. "We [can] bring 90 to campus up until our first game. money had to be reallocated, according to him. Triangle club hosts Baker said that the committee had to decide how to Your official date of claiming numbers is what your first Swimming was targeted to be cut because it is not fund a competitive athletic program and took it through contest is," Baker said. sponsored by the Southern Conference, Baker said. panel discussion the proper channels for approval. Under the semester system, classes are in session How much money will be reallocated due to With a variety of How did this decision come about? before the first contest, therefore the walk-ons are added the cuts? "It is somewhere within the $100,000 range by the religious members In 1994, the NCAA ruled that each institution in the to the roster before the official count is taken. organization would have to go through a certification The football team has not really grown by 30 players, time you look at budgets and you look at coaches sala- present, GSU's Triangle process, Baker said. only the, official count has, according to Baker. ries," he said. Club holds a discussion "At that time, in the gender-equity part of the pro- "On an annual basis we've had over 120 to 130 football Baker warned that the athletic department is not on homosexuality in gram, in order for us to increase participation it was players. [The difference this year is] just because of the saving money by cutting the programs. relation to spirituality. proposed that we would provide track as a sponsored reporting," he said. "It's not saving; it's reallocating. We are not saving sport at Georgia Southern," he said. Why couldn't a proposed budget be estab- money, we are reallocating money in order to put in two Please see story, Baker added that GSU planned to start sponsoring lished for women's track and then the money more sports." page 10 track in 1996, but the planning stages took longer than gleaned from the other sports? Please see BAKER, page 12 Lasorda kicks off GSU baseball season By Jamie Hodges wanted John to 'Woman of distinction' Sports Editor know, and I guess Tommy Lasorda, everybody calls him the famous former Jack but he's really Los Angeles Dodg- John, I wanted him ers manager, was to know that I ap- Keep in mind that February the featured preciate what he is Black History Month. GSU speaker of the does for the game of is sponsoring a number of fourth annual baseball." events to honor African Southern Boosters Another topic ad- American Heritage. Leadoff Banquet dressed in Lasorda's held last Friday speech was how im- Today's Word night where he said portant it is to have A d i a b o I i s m college baseball self confidence in (adiABuliz'm) n. The coaches are impor- order to be a success condition of not believing tant because they in life. contribute to the "Self-confidence in the devil. major leagues. Source: Weird Words is without a doubt, The banquet of- the first step to suc- Index ficially kicked off Susan Smith cess," he said. the GSU baseball HALL OF FAMER Tommy Lasorda spoke at GSU s Southern "We've got to have Announcements 2 season, which Boosters Leadoff Banquet last Friday. confidence in our- Classifieds 11 started the next selves; we got to be- day against Georgia Tech. I respect them, and I appreciate lieve." Comics 11 During his speech, Lasorda what they do for our game of Other activities during the Crossword 11 commented on how glad he was baseball." event included a silent auction of Features 8,9,10 to be at GSU and discussed the Lasorda also gave excellent baseball memorabilia. importance of college baseball praise to GSU's baseball team Only in America 3 Some of the items on sale were coaches and their contribution to head coach Jack Stallings. paintings of former Atlanta Brave Opinions 4,5 the major leagues. "John Stallings is just, with- David Justice and Home-Run Police Beat 2 "I'm very happy about being out a doubt, one of the finest King Hank Aaron. here tonight, for one reason in baseball coaches in America," The dinner was also high- Sports 6,7 Susan Smith particular," he said. "I've always Lasorda said. lighted by the 20th Anniversary the N AACP It is a desire of The George-Anne admired college coaches. And I "And that's why I'm here to- reunion of the 1979 GSU base IN HONOR OF BLACKHISTOR Y MONTH to printthe news of Georgia South- feel that these guys are the sup- night.