KSN Ch.3 Brooke Martin's 3rd WSU Football Report, 15June 2011

Former all-star quarterback Hank Schichtle's life today is far removed from his days making plays at Wichita State. Yet he can't seem to shake his will to win in the battle to get football back.

"Every conceivable excuse they have for not bringing it back doesn't hold water," says Schichtle.

His "opponent" on the issue is WSU President Donald Beggs, who insists Wichita State doesn't have the money for football and now serves a different, more academic purpose. Especially when compared to the state's other big schools.

"The other five regents institutions are the largest employers in their city and county. Here, we're the 14th largest employer just in the city, and so we have a different role," says Beggs. [Beggs "metropolitan" university posturing is a total non-substantive red herring issue, presented as an excuse for why he doesn't have to and can't provide any real leadership.] [In 1998 a study of 113 NCAA Div. I universities for metropolitan universities defined as in a area of 100,000 or more surrounding population, revealed 75 metropolitan universities, or 66.4 percent. Therefore, 33.6 persent are rural universities or 38 universities. Further, of the 75 metropolitan universities, 43, or 57.3 percent, are located in areas of greater population than Wichita State. Some of the 75 metropolitan universities include: Alabama, Arizona St, Baylor, Brigham Young, California, Cincinnati, Clemson, Colorado, Duke, Florida, Florida St, Fresno St, Georgia Tech, Houston, Illinois, Kentucky, LSU, Louisville, Maryland, Memphis, Miami, Michigan, Michigan St, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New Mexico St, North Carolina, North Carolian St, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio St, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Rice, Rutgers, San Diego St, San Jose St, South Carolian, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, Toledo, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, UCLA, UNLV, UTEP, Utah, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Washingtion, Wichita State, Wisconsin. All these so called "metropolitan" universities have football programs, except for Beggs standing like a great Hadrian wall astride the road to progress for WSU and regaining our lost traditional students, screaming stop.]

Even if WSU has a different role than the rest of Kansas schools, it does have a very different way of being funded.

Out of all six counties that house state universities, Sedgwick County is the only one that taxes its residents to help fund its state-funded university.

Between the city and county, $7.34 million in local tax money is given to WSU every year.

"The county, as part of our mill levy assessment, includes one and a half mills for the support of WSU and it is a mill levy that was originally approved by the citizens of Wichita," says Sedgwick County Commissioner, Dave Unruh.  Originally, as in 1964, when WSU was trying to get into the state system. The school had existing capital improvement building debt it needed to pay off so residents agreed to help. Fifty years later, residents are still being taxed. Most of whom, Unruh says, don't even know it. Brooke Martin "We've continued to levy the 1.5 mills so that WSU could use it for student scholarships and program enhancements," says Unruh.  [The mill levy was required by the state to be approved by Wichita City tax payors for the sole purpose of paying off the existing capital improvement debt on the round house [now Koch Arena], so that the assets of WSU could be transferred to the state debt free. Debt service of a sporting facility was the only thing City taxpayers approved on the 1963 referendum. Folks living outside the City in the county, didn't vote. No other use of the mill levy moneys was authorized by the City taxpayers. Re: Brooke Martin's statement: City taxpayers did not agree to "help". We agreed to pay off the existing capital improvement debt, without the help of the state, so that the assets of WSU could be transferred to the state debt free as required for admission to the state system as a full partner by the legislature. Upon admission, the state legally owned the assets WSU and legally was responsibile for the operation of WSU and the cost of running WSU. Upon what legal basis do we continue to "support student scholarships and program enhancements" as says Unruh? The voting for the mill levy never approved a mill levy for paying anything but existing capital improvement debt, period. Upon what constitutional basis or other legal basis does Unruh rely to tax locally to support a state responsibility institution, pray tell?]

Die-hard football advocate, attorney Fred Marrs, claims those scholarships are being used to "buy" students, since WSU's head count declined in the years after the suspension of football (The debate over a link between football and head count is addressed in part two of this series).

Some have even suggested using some of that tax money to help fund football's return.

"Mill levy is for a different purpose, in my opinion," says Beggs. "Now, if a person thought that was more important than academics and research and opportunities for Sedgwick County residents, then that's a different attitude than I have." [If Beggs can submit a budget for City and County approval including 2500 scholarship to help buy back and mitigate his loss of traditional students, why wouldn't the City and County approve a mere 85 more scholarships for football? The "different purpose" for the mill levy, was solely for the paying off of the existing capital improvement debt that then existed on the round house. No vote or authority was granted for paying for scholarship for your neighbors kids education. Nor for professor stipens; programs; symposium trips for professors; asserted Beggs 5% skim off of mill levy moneys from designated line items of the approved budgets, at the end of each fiscal year, to the "president's account"; nor new capital improvements; or for anything else but the then existing capital improvement debt. Subsequently, WSU was the legal responsibility of the state and supposed to be an equal partner of KU and K-State in the state system. Beggs doesn't like athletics or athletes as they don't make any contribution to society in his Hadrian view. Dwight David Eisenhower was a football player for West Point playing against Jim Thrope, Supreme Allied Commander 5 star General of D-Day, and President of the United States; but for Beggs he doesn't count for society since he played football.]

When asked if he thought it was fair that Sedgwick County residents are the only ones supporting their state school, Beggs replied, "I say it's absolutely critical if WSU is going to meet its commitment to this area. Yes." [ WSU is a state institution. Beggs can ask the B.O.R. for moneys for its "commitment..." The state has the legal responsibility for WSU and "its commitment", as designated by the B.O.R. and Beggs, not independently the County taxpayers. The County taxpayers pay more state taxes than any county in the state with perhaps the sole exception of Johnson county. We are double taxed when Beggs will not ask the B.O.R. for new capital improvement moneys, and puts new WSU state owned building on the mill levy to be paid for by sedgwick county taxpayers. We help pay for KU, K-State, Pittsgurgh State, Emporia State, Fort Hays State, and 22 or 23 Community Colleges new building costs, but zero state money for new building costs for WSU. Sedgwick County taxpayers have to pay an additional 1.5 mill levy tax to support new buildings at WSU. 2006 Study of New Capital Improvements: KU 22 projects, $435,346,403; K-State 13 projects, $210,463,920; WSU $145,000 for a "Campus Energy Plant Study", with the mill levy paying for the New $10,000,000 engineering lab building, $900,000/yr to the year 2017. $435 million for KU, $210 million for K-State and zero for any New building construction at WSU. In essence: the original KU monopolistic controlled BOR policy, agreed to by Beggs when he was hired Jan. 1 1999, and the continuing existing BOR policy, of WSU being required to look to the mill levy for capital improvement money with Beggs not asking the BOR for any new building capital improvement moneys, resulting in double taxing Sedgwick County residents uniquely in the state; results in KU getting WSU's share, and twice the amount that K-State gets. The process is corrupt and should be stopped with WSU getting its capital improvement moneys from the state.]