NORMAN, Okla. (U-Wire) - The
answer to the Athletic Department’s
budget crisis may lie in a 13-page
report.
The only problem is, OU President
David Boren ordered the confidential
report shredded, according to an anony
mous source.
Boren and four regents were given
the report last winter. The report,
obtained by The Oklahoma Daily, out
lines $2.9 million in services - services
inai most omer umversmes pay ior -
that OU won’t. It also identifies areas of
cost containment that could save the
department another $2.8 million annu
ally.
The report wasn’t the answer uni
versity administrators were looking for.
Boren said the report was unaccept
able, and he threw his copy away.
“The report was incomplete and
inaccurate,” said OU press secretary
Kim Hefty. “He told than to start over.”
But Boren never asked the Athletic
Department to redraft the report,
according to the anonymous source.
Instead, Boren told those who were
given the report to shred all copies of it.
The report was never redrafted.
Former athletic director Steve
Owens said he’s unsure why Boren
wanted die report shredded.
“I don’t knew,” he said. “When you
really take a look at the Athletic
Department, you can’t give away tick
ets, you can’t discount tickets. There’s a
lot of things that are given away, and if
you’re fighting budget problems, it’s
hard to give things away.
“We did the report as honestly and
truthfully as we could,” Owens said.
“Why we really have a lot of trouble
balancing the budget (is) because there Is
a lot of things given away or that we’re
paying for that we’re not getting reim
bursed for.”
The services referred to in the report
include complimentary tickets for
donors, the Pride of Oklahoma, spirit
groups and academic advising, which
don’t inherently belong under the
Athletic Department Most universities
subsidize these services, and up until
two years ago, the OU Athletic
DeparWnt paid for all of than.
“The University of Oklahoma
Athletic Department and its staff contin
ue to lode for areas to cut costs without
affecting our student athletes,” the
report states. “However, with Title IX
Gender Equity and other required sup
port programs, we cannot save our
selves into a profit”
About halt ot the $2.9 million
comes from tickets. Ticket sales gener
ate the most revalue each year, bringing
in $8.4 million.
But they could bring in more.
The Athletic Department could pay
off the debt in about four years if the
central university began paying for the
money lost in tickets to student and fac
ulty discounts, donors, regents, legisla
tors and the president. Most universities
across the country do this.
The Athletic Department loses
about $600,000 each year because it is
not reimbursed for these seats’ donor
component - a $100 to $500 donation
per seat in addition to the season tickets
face value.
When donors want to buy a premi
um football or basketball ticket, they
pay for the ticket’s face value as well as
the donor component.
There is a waiting line tor these pre-..
mium tickets, so when the university
gives them away or only charges the
ticket’s face value, the Athletic
Department loses out on the donor com
ponent
The department loses an additional
$1 million each year on student, faculty
and staff discounts.
Another cost the department absorbs
is the presidential skybox at Oklahoma
Manorial Stadium. It costs $48,000, but
the university doesn’t pay for it
‘Take my box, the president’s sky
jaaa—i———a—
box, which I can tell you is a work sta
tion,” Boren said. “Most of the time
what I try to do is bring in special guests,
people who either contributed or people
who are very special guests to the uni
versity, like some outstanding speaker.”
Like Boren’s million-dollar renovat
ed home, the Boyd House, Boren said
he uses the skybox to get potential
donors to give OU money. But that
money doesn’t necessarily go to the
Athletic Department-it usually goes to
the university.
' The remainder of the $2.9 million
would pay for die Pride, spirit groups,
promotions and Academic Student
Services, totaling $1.2 million.
As part of the Gender Equity Plan
approved by the regents in June 1996,
the university took on partial financial
responsibility for the band, $200,000;
for Academic Support Services,
$600,000; and for partial compensation
for the value of tickets.
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