Fund UNI academics before athletic program

Ben Allen's column (“Decisions will be made in the best interests of UNI's future,” March 6) defending his budget-cutting decisions at University of Northern Iowa are contradictory to the point of hypocrisy. He notes UNI's leading role in the nationwide STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) curriculum, and his commitment to maintaining a strong liberal arts core, but he is cutting programs such as physics, geography and earth science that are grounded in math and innovative technology.

The geography department at UNI has a major role among the Regents' universities in computerized mapping, remote sensing and global positioning systems, all of which are based in science, technology and math. These three departments take students beyond their general education requirements into exciting, challenging realms where their basic knowledge can be put to work. Allen's proposal would weaken the liberal arts core at UNI, and contradict his stated intent.

In addition, he is proposing to cut academic programs more deeply than sports. Yet UNI's athletic program ran a $4.5 million deficit last year, despite a $3 million infusion from UNI's general fund. The general fund should be used for education, not for propping up a bloated, unsustainable athletics program.

Joe Artz

Iowa City