To the editor:
Among recent lamentable decisions of the KU Athletic Department and the KUAC is the decision to, once again, sock it to basketball ticket-holders. Apparently, to retain good seat location, you will now be required to make a sizable "contribution" to the Williams Fund.
We are season ticket-holders with the same seats for 35 years. We contribute to the Williams Fund, albeit at a level far below what I think a subsequent letter will suggest as necessary to retain our seats.
In November 1984 we and other season ticket-holders received the infamous letter informing us that to retain our seat locations a sizable "contribution" would be required. The amount was not stated but it noted that to obtain new season tickets where we sat, required a "contribution" of $1,250. The best seats required $5,000.
In addition to negative reaction among season ticket-holders, a bill was introduced in the Kansas Legislature to preclude such "contributions." KU dropped its plans, and no legislative action was taken.
Among items a legislative committee discussed was that Allen Fieldhouse was built with money from Kansas taxpayers. At the time, half the fieldhouse maintenance and all utility charges were paid with state funds.
Picture the scenario as the committee did. An affluent Missouri resident with no Kansas ties is able to "buy" his way into quality fieldhouse seats, while many Kansas taxpayers are denied access, or with the new policy, are unable to retain their seats of many years. All this in a state-funded building.
Perhaps it is unbridled naiveto even suggest rewarding loyalty. In some lean years of the Ted Owens era, we received pleas to remain loyal to the program and renew our season tickets. We always did. Now we will be told that to keep those seats we have to pony up what is euphemistically call a "contribution."
We appreciate the dire circumstances of funding athletics at KU and regret recent decisions to drop sports. And we know officials' responses will be that everyone else is doing it and that they had no other choice. But is this to justify our state institutions adopting policies that place wealth above loyalty or commitment to its own state's residents?
It's time for ticket-holders to sound off and for KUAC to reconsider this unfair and unfortunate policy decision.
Harold and Donna Riehm,
Lawrence
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