Marshall University - Chief Justice Yearbook (Huntington, WV)

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Introduction

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Just where do Marshall ' s priorities A choking paradox engulfs this vast, diverse entity, raising a basic question even more relevant this year than in past years. Just where do Marshall ' s priorities lie? An extravagant sum of $430,CX)0 has been appropriated for new Astroturf for Fairfield Stadium, for a team that cannot manage to produce a break- even season. At the same time, Marshall ' s chem- istry majors continue their pursuit of that coveted college degree in nothing more than a firetrap. Yet, it is hardly fair to imply that sports play no important role in the lives of Marshall students, as any bas- ketball observer can attest. Stu Aber- deen and a welcome relief of show- manship basketball created a fervor long forgotten on Marshall ' s campus. After a 47-year lapse, West Virgin- ia ' s two universities clashed in a bas- ketball confrontation. The Mountain- eers ' coliseum echoed jeering chants of Marshall College long after the last disappointed Herd supporter fil- tered out of the building. The Herd ' s effort fell short, as far as the scoreboard was concerned, 80-73. The Legislature was again able to relax, smugly convinced that Marshall, on the losing end of a basketball game, is truly inferior to f e university of West Virginia. Academic superiority is not settled on a basketball court. So what is it about only a game that has the pow- er to unite almost an entire student body? Are varsity sports, because of their ostentatious nature, worth having the place at the top of Marshall ' s priori- ties? MU is not a football school, and a new $430,000 carpet will not make it more so. Iritroduction

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Each individual must decide if it ' s worth it However, it is not fair to saddle the Board of Regents, the Legislature or Marshall ' s administration with such an apparent misallocation of financial and moral support. The majority of Marshall ' s popula- tion either must be satisfied with the situation or too preoccupied to take an interest. In a breakdown of student fees, $18.55 out of $73.30 goes to intercolle- giate athletics. But no dissident opin- ion was voiced when an additional $1.70 for athletics was approved. An increase was also approved for Marshall ' s residence halls - an addi- tional $39.13 per semester was added to the $837.50 for Towers. $793 for Buskirk. and $784.50 for Laidley. Hodges and South. On the other hand, Marshall exper- ienced several new developments dur- ing the academic year. The first 34 med school students began classes in January. Ground was broken for Aca- demic Building B. Earth samples were taken as the first step in the construc- tion of the multi-purpose athletic fa- cility. But the basic problems haunting Marshall ' s population remain. Living conditions in the dormitories sagged to even more decadent depths. Com- muters were still plagued with the dai- ly dilemma of finding a place to park. A state institution possessing all the inherent follies accompanying aca- demic emphasis, Marshall opens its doors to all who care to take up resi- dence in its hallowed halls of higher education. Has it all been worth it? Only each individual student can decide. WW Introduction