The Dixon Center is the first stop on the admissions tours. It is bigger and better than many other colleges’ athletic facilities and is a big drawing point for prospective students, especially athletes. After seeing this great building, the athletic recruits are eager to see the field they will be playing on. Their excitement that carries over from the Dixon Center quickly fades when they see the poor excuse Cabrini has for playing fields.
The fields are lousy. The land is uneven and full of divots, which makes it hard and dangerous for the teams to run on. The grass is thin and ratty, even though the groundskeeping department spent much of the summer re-seeding the fields. The bleachers for the fans are rusty and rundown. These are not the fields championship teams deserve.
Champions are just what Cabrini athletic teams are. Such great and talented athletes come to Cabrini and every day are forced to practice on fields that are insulting to the greatness of the teams. Cabrini already has leaders in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference-imagine how much better the teams could be if they had smooth, even turf to practice and play on.
The amount of money sports brings in tuition is astounding. Former athletic director John Dzik, who is now executive assistant to the president for athletic advancement, is responsible for bettering the athletics for Cabrini by bringing in money and putting it to good use. One of his goals is a turf field. Cabrini officials have a track record of being enthusiastic.We would like to see them through with their enthusiasm. Hopefully, Dzik will follow up on his goal-with his excellent track record asCabrini’s athletic director for 23 years, it looks promising.
The big question that is always raised is how will the turf fields be funded? With each field costing about $800,000, athletics will need some funding for the fields. How will they get it? Raise the tuition, which is already skyrocketing? Ask for donations or have a silent auction to kick-start the campaign? Find a sponsor and then name a field after them? Whatever method they choose, they should get started on it quickly and let the people who it will affect-the students-know what is happening.
Asking for turf fields to be put in before the academic year ends is a little much, but it should definitely be at the top of the list for the athletic department and John Dzik to get cracking on. Instead of spending money or getting sponsors for ridiculous signs that tell students drinking is prohibited, like the ones on the upper and lower fields, they should be scrambling for ideas on how to acquire turf fields.
Posted to the web by Stephanie Mangold
