To the editor:

Thanks for the enlightening articles on the Kansas University athletic department’s lavish spending habits. I was shocked when I read Chancellor Robert Hemenway’s justification for such spending: “At an American university, there are certain signals as to whether or not you’re in a first-rate educational institution. That’s what we want to achieve, whether you’re a student, a parent, a fan or a student-athlete — to feel like you’re attending a first-rate institution.”

Winning ball games may give KU a certain kind of prestige, but it seems like a very expensive way to convince students of KU’s overall merit. To expect students to be wowed by such “signals” does not credit them with much intelligence. In fact, the kind of student who would gobble up such swill is not the kind I would expect to find in a first-rate educational institution.

Since appearances seem to be so important to KU, I have a suggestion that would enhance its image: Cut Lew Perkins’ ridiculous $400,000 salary and distribute the savings among academic programs. It would be a great way for KU to send a signal to students that it gives a damn about their education.

Marc Briand,

Lawrence