This isn’t why we fund universities

I am bothered by the many reports that some of our outstanding college basketball players are leaving school after their freshman, sophomore or junior years to enter the field of professional basketball.

As an Illinois resident I pay my state income tax, as do all of us, and some of those dollars go to our public universities. These funds provide classrooms and professors for our students so they may proceed to obtain a college degree, enter the business world, and become productive citizens. Often the number of classroom seats and professors is limited, and even qualified college applicants are turned down.

It is disturbing to see that some of those seats, and even scholarships, are taken by student-athletes who then leave in early years before getting their degree. That is not why we taxpayers fund our public universities. Perhaps we should adopt a policy of requiring student-athletes upon admission to sign a binding agreement that they will continue to remain in school for the necessary four years and obtain a degree.

That’s what higher education is all about: Get that degree. Am I wrong? Perhaps so, judging from the tremendous publicity I see in our newspapers about our great college basketball players and their leaving school early in order to obtain big bucks in the professional leagues. (And being a graduate of the University of Kansas, perhaps I best become quiet on the subject...)

Theodore M. Utchen

Wheaton