Last June, the University of Texas athletics department held a two-day staff retreat at Barton Creek Country Club. The tab came to $13,918 — almost as much money as Robert Wyatt, a library assistant at the Perry-Castaneda Library, earns in an entire year. Three months after the June meeting, the department held a coaches’ meeting at Barton Creek that cost $3,987. The purpose of the meeting, according to a voucher obtained under the Texas Open Records Act, was to “help everyone renew rules etc.” Golf expenses alone came to $1,190. That’s $90 more than Wyatt’s monthly take home pay.
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Robert Wyatt, a library assistant |
Over a 12-month period from September, 1997 to September,1998, the men’s and women’s athletics departments spent $117,090 on golf, drinks, and entertainment at Barton Creek Country Club, Headliners Club, and the Hills of Lakeway Country Club. Documents obtained by the Chronicle list numerous outings by athletics department officials for golf, lunches, brunches, and other activities. (This total does not include the $84,000 per year the athletics departments spend on memberships to those clubs.)
Operating on a budget that exceeds $30 million per year, the department provides 48 of its employees with paid memberships at the Hills of Lakeway. Another 32 employees are provided with memberships at Barton Creek Country Club. And a handful of others, including Men’s Athletics Director DeLoss Dodds and Women’s Athletics Director Jody Conradt, also get memberships at the Headliners Club.
Athletics department officials say the expenses are an essential part of the job. UT staffers say the spending is one more example of excess in the athletics department.
Many of the vouchers examined by the Chronicle involved golf outings. On December 3, 1997, for example, Donnie Little, a former UT football player and now men’s athletics department official, took two guests to Barton Creek Country Club to play golf. The bill came to $443.29. Greens fees were $125 apiece. Three golf carts were rented at $11.50 each. Tax was $33.79. The explanation for the expense: “Two prospective suite buyers.” UT has spent thousands of dollars promoting and selling its new luxury suites at Royal-Memorial Stadium, which in turn are able to generate huge amounts of revenue for the athletics departments.
Other expenditures were made to entertain recruits. On January 1, 1998, swim coach Jill Sterkel took five recruits, one parent, and two coaches to Barton Creek Country Club for brunch. The total: $228.13. A few expenses involved lunch and business meetings. On October 1, 1997, Conradt, head coach for women’s basketball as well as women’s AD, spent $32.77 on parking and lunch at Barton Creek. Two months later, on Dec. 28, Dodds met with UT Chancellor William Cunningham at the club. Their bill for two Jack Daniels, two orange juices, and one soft drink came to $17.62. The voucher says the expense was for “PR benefit to Ath. Dept. by entertainment of System Chancellor.”
Doug Messer, a senior associate athletic director at UT who also heads the Longhorn Foundation and Longhorn Legacy, the department’s fundraising arms, says the expenditures are justifiable and are similar to expenses made by other departments on campus for recruiting and other departmental functions. “I believe it’s fair to say there’s a certain amount of dollars and resources used across campus for recruiting good people to come to the university, for fundraisers, for a variety of departments, and a wide array of justifiable reasons. We aren’t the only ones doing this type of spending,” he said.
Messer adds that last June’s retreat is done every year, as “an opportunity to get everyone together to do extensive conversation about our operation and how we can function better.”
But Messer’s explanations don’t sit well with UT staffers struggling for higher wages. “It’s just an example of the blatant excess that takes place in higher levels of athletics as well as the higher level of academic side,” said Peg Kramer, president of the University Staff Association. “The problem with the university is that there’s no accountability to the university community or the public in general. At the time this excess is going on, we have people who can’t put food on the table.”
Library assistant Wyatt, vice president of the staff association, has worked at UT for two years. His annual salary is $14,000. “I’ve had every one of my utilities cut off in the last year for nonpayment. I don’t get paid until Monday. Between now and then, I’m writing bad checks to eat,” he said a few weeks ago. “I find it appalling that they spend so much money at country clubs.” —Robert Bryce
This article appears in May 21 • 1999 and May 21 • 1999 (Cover).