Task Force Is Told to Upgrade Facilities

The former president of the National Assn. of Athletic Directors, speaking at a meeting of the Cal State Northridge Task Force on Intercollegiate Athletics on Monday, said that Northridge should “bite the bullet” and spend whatever money is necessary to upgrade its athletic facilities.

“It all comes down to facilities,” Dr. Fred Miller told a standing-room-only crowd of more than 100. “If you don’t build a [big football] facility, who wants you? Nobody wants to play you a home-and-home [series] because of your facilities.”

Miller suggested that Northridge officials pattern the Matador athletic program after Syracuse University, which years ago “took cottage cheese and turned it into a successful, major athletic program. Their stadium was in much worse shape [than North Campus Stadium],” Miller said.

According to Miller, Northridge must work in cooperation with the students and community to succeed.

“I think you can do it, but I don’t think you’re going to get there unless. . . you pay for the things you [need] to have a quality athletic program,” Miller said.

A former athletic director at San Diego State and Arizona State, Miller offered several options to the committee members to solve the gender-equity problems caused by Title IX and the CSU/CAL-NOW settlement.

Emphasizing club sports, moving down to the NCAA Division II, becoming an independent, switching to non-scholarship football and/or dropping football and athletics all together are all plans that Miller said could help the university meet gender-equity guidelines. But he warned that dropping the football program is a double-edged sword.

Miller noted that canceling football eliminates 45 men’s scholarships, setting up a potential situation of reverse discrimination.

Miller also claimed it’s going to be extremely difficult for Northridge to get into a conference if it drops football.

“If you want to be a major player, you need football,” Miller said.

Northridge baseball Coach Mike Batesole gave an impassioned speech in which he claimed both players and coaches had been made empty promises by administrators to come to the school.

“Is there any wonder why there is no passion or interest from the students in the university?” Batesole asked. “There is no loyalty at this university. They treat people like things.”