To the editor:

The Saturday Column (April 13) emphasized that universities should put the spotlight on academics. For too many years, athletics has dominated the news, whether good or bad. Pick up any edition of the Lawrence Journal-World, and you will find one or more lengthy articles about the coaches with nary a mention of the chancellor. I am not against athletics, but the academic-athletic scale is unbalanced.

How to spotlight academics? The editor has an excellent venue for doing so. Let’s turn on the light by introducing a new section of the newspaper, “Academics,” a section equivalent to “Sports.” Don’t depend on press releases; ascend Mount Oread and talk to people, not just administrators, but the men and women who make Kansas University what it is: a vibrant, but presently floundering, university. Select a columnist for academics, someone equivalent to Keegan in sports. So, Mr. Editor, take a bold step; you and the Journal-World might go down in history for initiating an equivalency in news reporting — academics equals athletics.