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Topic:  Barry Thomas

Topic:  Barry Thomas
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rpbobcat
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  Message Not Read  Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/17/2012 2:07:01 PM 
I see Barry Thomas has another letter in today's The Post (4/17) bashing athletics.

The letter says he is a Professor emeritus in German.
He seems to be taking up the "Vedder Rant " .
Just wondering if anyone out there with recent ties to Athens knows anything about him.

 
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Bobcatbob
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/17/2012 2:13:42 PM 
Face it, with Schaus upping the ante with Christain's contract the criticism is only going to increase.  Money's too tight for this to not be an issue.
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shabamon
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/17/2012 2:14:15 PM 
I didn't read his letter as an attack on athletics. It does raise some good questions, and I think it calls out local reporters. He just wants to see the proof in the numbers that there is return on investment in our athletics department.
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Deciduous Forest Cat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/17/2012 2:48:17 PM 
oh, let's see, applications freaking doubled. That means they'll have smarter more attentive students in their classes the next four years. Shut up and teach.
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Brian Smith (No, not that one)
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/17/2012 2:48:21 PM 
thepost.ohiou.edu/content/post-letter-%E2%80%98athletic-kingdom%E2%80%99-tries-defend-spending-millions

I don't agree with him. I don't think he should have to "shut up and teach", though. I think he's perfectly within his rights to write a letter to the editor.

Last Edited: 4/17/2012 2:50:04 PM by Brian Smith (No, not that one)
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OhioCatFan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/17/2012 3:01:11 PM 
Read the whole article, particularly the last paragraph.  He is honest enough to admit that the Sweet 16 run increased our national visibility.  This was a balanced and honest analysis and asked reasonable questions.  My answers would undoubtably be different than his.

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rpbobcat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/17/2012 3:16:42 PM 
shabamon wrote:
I didn't read his letter as an attack on athletics. It does raise some good questions, and I think it calls out local reporters. He just wants to see the proof in the numbers that there is return on investment in our athletics department.


Maybe its me,but refering to the Athletic Department as the "Athletic Kingdom" in kind of an attack.

As far as "shut up and teach" ,the letter says he's a Professor emeritus.
As far as I know "emeritus" means retired,but with an honorary title.
So he doesn't have to teach anymore.Just sit back,relax and write letters to The Post.

In response to "Ohio cat fan" I  think the last sentence in his letter was meant to cynical/sarcastic.Although at least he thinks enough of O.U. to wear an O.U. hat.
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Ohio69
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/17/2012 7:24:35 PM 

It is an attack.  Those of us who see value in athletics are fine as long as McDavis is around.  Once he leaves, watch out.  I think McDavis is all by his lonesome in Cutler Hall regarding athletics.  


Can somebody hit a pull up jumper for me?.....

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JSF
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/17/2012 10:47:49 PM 
Given the semi-facist nature of the Modern Languages department, any whining from them should be met with loud disapproval.

"Loyalty to a hometown or city is fleeting and interchangeable, but college is a stamp of identity."- Kyle Whelliston, One Beautiful Season.

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Jim G
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/17/2012 10:48:52 PM 

What everyone seem to forget is that the more success the football and basketball team have the more it helps the city of Athens. The bars in Athens had their highest sales during spring break ever. The OHIO University Tee Shirt shops had higher sales in March than December. The more people to come to Athens to watch a game the more money the restaurants, the stores, the hotels in Athens make. And Athens needs your money! A good Ohio University athletic department helps the university and Athens. You gotta spend money to make money.
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DelBobcat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 12:33:20 AM 
The letter is definitely an attack. The article in question gave application numbers and examples of other schools that reaped the rewards of athletic success, yet the letter-writer claims that the article provided no evidence. The article was well-written and provided a balanced viewpoint while citing statistics. The letter-writer obviously didn't read it.

BA OHIO 2010, BS OHIO 2010, MA Delaware 2012
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Mike Coleman
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 12:46:24 AM 
Really, the guy is a complete moron. Does he even balance a checkbook? Doesn't he realize that "spending" $2.2 million dollars isn't really $2.2 million dollars if there is income to counterbalance that? Now, I believe that football is a money loser--not going to argue that--but you can't tell me that basketball didn't break even this past year with that $2.2 million budget. As a matter of fact, I've seen it printed more than one place that mens hoops made money this past year.

Just the NCAA tournament was worth $4.5 million to the MAC. Even with the stupid MAC split of 1/12, that made Ohio $375,000, or 17% of its total annual hoop budget.

Last Edited: 4/18/2012 12:52:16 AM by Mike Coleman
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Monroe Slavin
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 12:46:30 AM 
The letter is certainly sarcastic.  He claims to know of no stats supporting the argument that the increased spend/budget for athletics more than pays for itself.  I think that there are some stats that are readily available that, at the least, lend some support to the positive benefits of the spend.  He provides no support for his argument that there's a negative return on the spend.  All he does is speculate.  Fair enough; he shouldn't dress it up as sound argument in that case, though.

Really, it strikes mer as a quickly dashed off letter.  I don't see much of the old academic rigor there.  It's pretty much in line with the C+ posts on this board.  No better.

Where's the band?!
WHERE"S THE BAND?!


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Jeff McKinney
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 9:30:40 AM 
Is it possible that in addition to debating these critics on the basis of cost-benefit analysis, that it might be worthwhile to argue for the intrinsic value of athletics at a university?  Even if it can't be proven conclusively that sports brings in net money value, it brings some benefits that can't be quantified. 

Do these critics apply the cost benefit analysis approach to all academic programs at a university?  No, they see the intrinsic value of the curricula. 
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Ohio69
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 10:06:13 AM 
Jim G wrote:
What everyone seem to forget is that the more success the football and basketball team have the more it helps the city of Athens. The bars in Athens had their highest sales during spring break ever. The OHIO University Tee Shirt shops had higher sales in March than December. The more people to come to Athens to watch a game the more money the restaurants, the stores, the hotels in Athens make. And Athens needs your money! A good Ohio University athletic department helps the university and Athens. You gotta spend money to make money.


Its worse than forgetting this.  These folks know this.  They just don't care.  They want the athletics budget eliminated and those funds spent on faculty.

Last Edited: 4/18/2012 10:06:32 AM by Ohio69

Can somebody hit a pull up jumper for me?.....

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OUbobcat9092
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 1:44:56 PM 
Ohio69 wrote:
Jim G wrote:
What everyone seem to forget is that the more success the football and basketball team have the more it helps the city of Athens. The bars in Athens had their highest sales during spring break ever. The OHIO University Tee Shirt shops had higher sales in March than December. The more people to come to Athens to watch a game the more money the restaurants, the stores, the hotels in Athens make. And Athens needs your money! A good Ohio University athletic department helps the university and Athens. You gotta spend money to make money.


Its worse than forgetting this.  These folks know this.  They just don't care.  They want the athletics budget eliminated and those funds spent on faculty.



Maybe we should look at cutting/cutting back on some of the academic offerings that Ohio has in light of the overall budget situation at the University. 

We have seen 3 sports cut in the last few years for the sake of the budget and a wish to see the others do better.

How many academic departments/majors have been eliminated to help with the budget situation.  Everyone can say that the spending/budget has been lowered (or at least not elevated).

Did you know that Ohio offers 250+ majors?  That is double the # offered by the Evil Empire. 
Maybe we could cut back/cut those that we aren't well known for, or aren't attracting the #'s to justify the staff/faculty? 
World Classics, anyone else...??

Bring Back Men's Track & Field

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The Optimist
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 1:57:03 PM 
Can anyone inform me when the last Cost Benefit Analysis on the German Department was done? Is the education offered through the German department worth the cost, or would that funding be more educationally beneficial moved elsewhere? 


I've seen crazier things happen.

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Pete Chouteau
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 2:50:41 PM 
Jeder hat Anspruch auf eine Stellungnahme. Sicherlich gibt es Mitglieder der Gesellschaft, die glauben, dass der Wert der Arbeit von Richard Wagner auf den Wert der Meisterschaft Leichtathletik weit überlegen ist. Aber es auch Mitglieder der Gesellschaft, die das Verhältnis umkehren gibt. Zum Glück, Trümpfe die Stellungnahme des Präsidenten der Universität, die von Professor emeritus.
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bobcat28
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 3:44:21 PM 
Yeah because he's added so much value to the university by teaching German. He should be paying Ohio University to allow him to teach German.
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OhioCatFan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 4:04:50 PM 
Ohio69 wrote:

It is an attack.  Those of us who see value in athletics are fine as long as McDavis is around.  Once he leaves, watch out.  I think McDavis is all by his lonesome in Cutler Hall regarding athletics.  


Fortunately, however, he's not alone in terms of those who will hire his replacement -- hopefully in the distant future.  I'm, of course, referring to the Board of Trustees.  What others in Cutler Hall or the Department of Classics, Western Religion and Guppy Ranching think is virtually irrelevant to this decision making process

Last Edited: 4/18/2012 4:05:20 PM by OhioCatFan

The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org

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Brian Smith (No, not that one)
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 4:52:01 PM 
This thread took a sickening turn.

You don't like someone attacking what we all here consider a useful part of the university, so we stoop to the same level by questioning if TEACHING THE GERMAN LANGUAGE IS USEFUL?

Good god.

Last Edited: 4/18/2012 4:53:49 PM by Brian Smith (No, not that one)
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Paul Graham
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 7:52:11 PM 
Sorry guys, but no matter how much we all love this stuff, academics is the CORE MISSION of the university. Athletics is just a nice-to-have.

And I seriously hope that those who are suggesting that cutting departments in lieu of athletic cuts are just being funny. Otherwise I think folks are becoming seriously confused about "what we're all about", to quote the good Dr. Solich.
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perimeterpost
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 8:11:15 PM 
Thomas is making a hypothetical argument that sounds logical except that its already been tested repeatedly and proven false. Not to get into politics but its like when Rand Paul said that the govt shouldn't have the authority to tell businesses that they can't discriminate against customers based on their race. His hypothesis was that most people wouldn't visit a racist business and therefore the business wouldn't survive. That sounds completely logical, until you remember what the South was like for about 100 years between the Civil War and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Using Thomas' logic, we're to believe that people all across the state of Ohio and beyond are rabid supporters of OSU because of their exciting Math department. He wants us to believe that Butler and Shawnee State probably both have the same amount of applicants because they have the same number of enrollments.

If you don't like sports then think of Athletics as Marketing. Athletics isn't an expense, its an investment and the return on investment isn't always monetary, but it is real.

p.s. no need for the ill will toward the Germans, Pearl Harbor was a long time ago.

MY STATE. MY TEAM.
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OhioCatFan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 9:01:07 PM 
Good points, perimeter . . . except for that last one.  We all know it was the dirty, commie Ruskies who attacked us at Pearl Harbor.  You're getting too much of your news from Hollywood.  

Last Edited: 4/18/2012 9:02:24 PM by OhioCatFan

The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org

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perimeterpost
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  Message Not Read  RE: Barry Thomas
   Posted: 4/18/2012 9:18:44 PM 
I think it was Teddy Roosevelt who said after we stormed the beaches at Getttysburg- The only thing we have to fear is what you can do for your country.

MY STATE. MY TEAM.
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