Franchot: Public Conversation on Towson University Sports Is Imperative

Gov. Martin O'Malley's announcement to fund two more years of baseball at Towson University calls into question the reasons behind the elimination of that sport and men's soccer, according to Comptroller Peter Franchot.

In a statement released Tuesday, Franchot said "the Governor’s action to reinstate the baseball team—and President Loeschke’s apparent concurrence with that action—confirms that her initial decision to discontinue the men’s baseball and soccer programs had nothing to do with Title IX compliance. Rather, I believe it had everything to do with the redistribution of resources from “non-revenue” sports such as baseball and soccer to revenue-generators such as football and basketball, while extending a lifeline to an athletics department that somehow managed to turn a sizable budget surplus into a $1.3 million deficit in just two years."

Franchot said he continues to be frustrated over the elimination of the men's baseball and soccer programs and the manner in which students and staff were informed.

Monday, O'Malley said a meeting last week with Towson University President Maravene Loeschke lead to a compromise deal that would provide $300,000 in each of the next two years to pay for the baseball program. The men's soccer program, which was also eliminated last month, was not funded.

The deal includes a requirement that supporters of the baseball program raise $100,000 annually to make the team financially self-sufficient. The university will also have to raise student fees by 1 percent or about $8 per student per school year.

Franchot wrote that he is "concerned about the possibility, if not the likelihood, that we are establishing a prohibitively expensive precedent by utilizing taxpayer dollars to sustain collegiate athletic programs.  It has been the longstanding intent of the state of Maryland that these programs be sustained not through state appropriations, but through dedicated revenue sources such as student fees, private contributions, and ticket and merchandise sales."

"Now that it appears that state funds will be used to bail out the Towson University athletics department—and in so doing, to excuse and reward profligate spending—it is more imperative than ever that we have a public conversation about the chain of events that have placed so many dedicated student-athletes in a state of uncertainty and limbo," Franchot wrote in his statement.

Franchot called the decision to pay for the baseball program out of the state budget "highly irregular, if not unprecedented" and said other state universities will likely line up to ask for similar state funding.

Franchot and O'Malley each met with Loeschke last week after the two delayed a decision on a contract before the Board of Public Works involving a Towson University project at Harford County Community College.

Loeschke was scheduled to appear before the three-member board on Wednesday. That meeting, and a decision on the construction contract, has been rescheduled for April 17.

The Towson University president, in an interview Tuesday morning on WBAL 1090 AM, said the additional funding is not a permanent fix for baseball and will not save the soccer program.

During that same interview, Loeschke was asked about being portrayed as the bad guy in the decision to eliminate the two teams last month.

The president said some times her job calls for making decisions that are "extremely unpopular and will never be completely understood."

"You take the heat as long as you know you're doing the right thing," Loeschke said.

Here's Franchot's full statement:

“Like so many Marylanders and friends of Towson University, I have been deeply frustrated by the decision that was made by President Loeschke’s Administration to eliminate the men’s baseball and soccer programs and by the manner in which this decision was shared with their players and coaches.

Both are successful and storied programs that have enhanced the reputation of Towson University.  Both have been so ably led by gentlemen who have devoted their lives to teaching the fundamentals of their respective sports as well as timeless values such as loyalty, teamwork and respect.  They have consistently produced young men who apply the lessons of intercollegiate sports to succeed in their chosen careers and to give back to their communities in countless ways.

It is with a shared spirit of frustration with the actions taken by the University, deep skepticism over the reasons for these decisions that have been publicly offered, and admiration for these fine young men that I publicly called upon President Loeschke and Athletic Director Waddell to take immediate steps to reinstate these two programs.  I was pleased that Governor O’Malley shared the concerns I raised at the March 20^th Board of Public Works meeting and I applaud him for inviting President Loeschke to appear before the Board to openly answer questions that have been raised and to clarify points of public contention in order to achieve a beneficial outcome for Towson’s student-athletes, their coaches and their families.

That being said, yesterday’s unexpected announcement that $300,000 has been included in Governor O’Malley’s supplemental budget to reinstate the men’s baseball team for the 2013-14 season has, if anything, left me with more unanswered questions than before.  First, it is not at all clear how, why or by whom the decision was made to reinstate the men’s baseball team without doing the same for the men’s soccer team.  In the absence of such information, one could be forgiven for concluding that it was a purely arbitrary decision that was based primarily, if not solely, on the fact that one constituency group was simply larger and more vocal than the other. 

Second, I am concerned about the possibility, if not the likelihood, that we are establishing a prohibitively expensive precedent by utilizing taxpayer dollars to sustain collegiate athletic programs.  It has been the longstanding intent of the State of Maryland that these programs be sustained not through state appropriations, but through dedicated revenue sources such as student fees, private contributions, and ticket and merchandise sales. 

Having made the highly irregular, if not unprecedented, decision to divert public funds from other crucial priorities in order to support the continued operation of Towson’s baseball team, we should not be at all surprised when other institutions demand their share of state athletic dollars as a matter of equity.  The potential fiscal consequences for our state – particularly in the midst of a lethargic economic recovery, when taxpayer dollars are at a particular premium – are considerable.  It would be my preference that Towson University’s athletic department find the resources to permanently reinstate these programs from within its existing budget, applying a sense of fiscal restraint that has been conspicuously absent during the tenure of this particular Athletic Director.

Finally, and at the risk of stating the obvious, the Governor’s action to reinstate the baseball team – and President Loeschke’s apparent concurrence with that action – confirms that her initial decision to discontinue the men’s baseball and soccer programs had nothing to do with Title IX compliance.  Rather, I believe it had everything to do with the redistribution of resources from “non-revenue” sports such as baseball and soccer to revenue-generators such as football and basketball, while extending a lifeline to an athletics department that somehow managed to turn a sizable budget surplus into a $1.3 million deficit in just two years. 

Now that it appears that state funds will be used to bail out the Towson University athletics department – and in so doing, to excuse and reward profligate spending – it is more imperative than ever that we have a public conversation about the chain of events that have placed so many dedicated student-athletes in a state of uncertainty and limbo.  It is with that intent in mind that I look forward to President Loeschke’s appearance before the Board of Public Works on Wednesday, April 17, in the State House.  The students and families whose futures now hang in the balance, and the Maryland taxpayers who have unexpectedly become direct stakeholders in the future of Towson University athletics, deserve nothing less than the highest standards of accountability.”