David Jesse

Detroit Free Press

Eastern Michigan University should drop out of Division I football and find a different league for its other sports, all in order to save students money, a new report issued by the university's faculty and students says.

"Culturally and geographically, EMU football will simply never succeed from an attendance and financial standpoint," faculty member Howard Bunsis, who helped prepare the report, said in a presentation to the Board of Regents on Friday. "It is a losing proposition — always has been, and always will be. We hardly raise any money for football, and our attendance is the lowest in the country. Some of you believe that we are close to succeeding, if we just throw more money at the situation. This proposition is insane.

"This has nothing to do with our performance on the field, or the quality of our coaches. Our coaches are good people and dedicated professionals. They are fighting a losing battle that cannot be won. Each and every one of you needs to reassess why you are here; if you have any sense of what is right for EMU, you will drop EMU from Division I football as soon as possible. How can you sit there and justify throwing millions of dollars away?"

Getting rid of Division I football is a moral imperative – it will save students money and lower student debt, the report said. The report also found that each student paid $917 out of pocket to support athletics at Eastern. "Should the university be saddling students with unnecessary debt for athletics programs that added little to no value to their education?" the report says.

The answer, at least according to the faculty and student government, is no. But the report doesn't argue for Eastern to completely withdraw from sports.

MAC commish insists EMU athletics not going anywhere

"The option of EMU dropping sports completely is not one that we support," the report says. "Though athletics is a significant drain on resources, and increases tuition for students and their families, the loss of tuition revenue from students in the non-revenue sports could hurt EMU financially, and moves us away from important values of teamwork, discipline, and community.

The study was commissioned and conducted by the faculty union and the student government. The 30-page report analyzed historical and current budget figures from the university.

The report is the latest discussion point in a rekindling of a long-simmering dispute over how much Eastern's general fund for pays for sports. The topic made national news last week when HBO's Real Sports featured Eastern in a segment on athletic departments "arms race."

Instead, the report has a different suggestion.

Division I is now split into two divisions – Football Bowl Subdivision (where EMU is) and Football Championship Subdivision (the next step down). The report supports dropping out completely from Division I

"Eastern Michigan should drop Division I football, and join the Horizon League, where football is not required," the report says. "Alternatively, EMU can still play football, but at the Division II or Division III (non-scholarship) level within the Horizon League, which would save even more resources. The advantage of joining the Horizon League is EMU athletes could still compete at the Division I level in Olympic and other non-revenue sports, but spend much less."

EMU not planning athletic cuts, but all options are 'on the table'

There are no active discussions about cutting football, Eastern board chairman Mike Morris has said.

"... there is no active plan among the Board of Regents to specifically evaluate football. On an overall level, the Board has high regard for our current football program, its outstanding coach and its success going forward. We expect to have a great season in 2016," he said last week in a statement.

EMU, like all but a few universities in the nation, doesn't make enough money from athletics to cover its costs. So it sends the department a subsidy from the general fund, which is largely made up of student tuition and state aid. The athletic department spent $33.9 million in the 2014-15 school year, according to data collected by USA TODAY and published earlier this week. Of that amount, more than $27 million, or 80%, came from institutional support. That percentage is the highest in EMU's league, the Mid-American Conference.

The report suggests that the university consider joining a different league to cut costs but still offer athletics.

"A broader discussion should take place on campus on the role of athletics at EMU and whether it would be beneficial to consider moving EMU out of the MAC (Mid-American Conference) and into another league, such as the Horizon League (with Oakland University, etc.), that do not require fielding the most expensive team sports to be members."

The faculty/student government report says athletic spending at Eastern has increased over the past 10 years from around $20 million in 2005 to more than $33 million in 2015, an increase of over 65%. During the same time period, athletic revenues have declined from around $10 million to almost $7 million.

HBO looks at EMU athletic spending on 'Real Sports'

But while the university is looking carefully at its spending in all areas, there are no plans nor discussions ongoing about cutting that subsidy Morris told the Free Press last week. However, another board member – Jim Stapleton – said he believes there needs to be serious discussions about cutting sports.

Eastern's administration backed Morris' train of thought in a statement posted to its website: "Participating in Division 1 athletics is a substantial financial investment – not only at Eastern, but also at every university that offers a Division 1 program. It is an investment we are committed to because of the benefits athletics provides our institution and students. At the same time, the university is committed to an ongoing evaluation of the best possible use of resources in all operating areas, including athletics."

The statement noted that athletics spending represents less than 8% of the current budget. Athletes make up less than 3% of the student body.

Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or djesse@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @reporterdavidj.