Budget Cuts, Athletics & the Why Question

Today in one of my classes we went off topic and talked about our school budget, the professors contract, etc. Obviously everyone is hurting right now, and many people are upset by the decisions of our state to cut education. I myself am disappointed that education is the thing that gets slashed. However, not knowing more about the subject, I'm the last person to give an opinion on alternative options.

One of the things about this twenty-minute discussion that our class engaged in had to do with a comment a fellow classmate made. She happened to have our school paper in front of her and commented how one page talked about the budget cuts, but the very next page talked about the women's locker-room getting a 2.6 million dollar face-lift. She was very outspoken about the fact that she regarded this as a frivolous use of money, and that the female athletes should just stop complaining and go back to their dorms or homes to shower. The student did apologize if any athletes were in the class, but continued by saying that she thought it was interesting how the school is in a budget deficit, but athletics still gets money. In other words, that people were valuing athletics far above education.

Again, I know very little about the subject as I'm not an athlete or privy to budget information. I will say that after my class I had a talk with a friend. I commented how notoriety is what gets students to come to a particular school. Since it seems that athletics is the thing that gets the most attention, then it's what gets promoted.

I have no idea if this is true or not. I am all for athletics, but I'm also for education. In my perfect world, education and athletics and whatever else would all be on equal footing in regards to money. However, in reality, that's not the case. But the focus of my thoughts now have to do with the comment that my friend made to me after I commented on the notoriety subject. He said that each student that comes to a school actually costs the school money. So if one were to look at it, the affect of more students coming to a particular institution due to the notoriety factor wouldn't really jive.

I couldn't say anything to that. I was left with very confusing thoughts. I was thinking, well, if each student is looked as a negativity because it costs the school money to educate them, then why would they want students to come at all? If there's always a budget shortfall, then why even open up a school period? Why not have a student cut-off then, to allow only so many students per so many years? Why open it up for new students all the time? I just don't understand any of this.

Mainly, I'm left with the why question. Why? What's the whole point of it if it only costs money and puts the institution into debt?