Athletics budget woes can be blamed on football program

Mike Stoops just got even more pressure. This week the athletics department announced the layoff of 18 employees to balance the department's budget. Unlike other UA departments, athletics receives no state funding, so it can't run at a deficit. The layoffs should save $800,000 to $850,000 per year.

Assistant Director of Athletics Steve Kozachik last week implicitly blamed the poor performance of the football team, noting that it hasn't been to a bowl game in seven years. Bowl games mean big money, and the department budget grew to the point where it needed one.

The drive for victories is evident in every sport on campus. But it's especially evident with football and basketball, which bring in the lion's share of the revenues for the athletics department. Clearly basketball has held up its end of the bargain.

But don't call to gripe at Stoops, even though his salary is about the same as all 18 of the laid off employees. Anyone have John Makovic in their Rolodex?

Police needed victory in fight against bike theft

Students often complain the police are there when they're drinking or partying but not when they're actually needed. The high incidence of unrecovered bike theft is seen as a perfect example.

However, this week the police were able to smile and boast, searching for the owners of 450 bikes they found at a house on North First Avenue and East Blacklidge Drive two weeks ago. They say the owners had been trading the bicycles for methamphetamines.

Students can go to the police station to see if their bicycles are there.

There seems to be a happy ending for many old Police Beat stories. Still, students need to register their bikes and buy strong locks.

Those who have their bike locks need to follow traffic laws in the face of a heavy enforcement program. If they don't, those same police officers they're now thanking will be there to write them tickets.

Exhibit makes good points about acceptance of body images

Twenty average bodies. This week Larry Kirkwood displays his "Body Image Project: Beauty as a Relative Concept." He says people, especially young college students, place too much emphasis on how their bodies look. It would be more productive to focus on things that matter, he says.

That opinion has been around for decades. But what makes the project so interesting is that it places equal emphasis on men and women. With the incidence of metrosexuals and the increasingly image-conscious male, the opinion has new relevance.

Body image is especially noticed at the UA, where hot weather makes short shorts and T-shirts essential. Then we're bombarded by images of what's beautiful and then Playboy and Men's Fitness happen.

In 40 years, students will all probably appreciate inner beauty. But it would be great if they could now as well.

- Opinions are determined by the Wildcat Opinions Board and written by one of its members. They are Evan Caravelli, Brett Fera, Jesse Lewis, Ryan Johnson and Lisa Rich.