Expansion of high-priced athletic programs on west side of County continues unabated; just completed adding soccer practice field and women’s soccer team; does enamored focus on athletics ignore major real unmet educational needs in significant areas of the County outside Prescott?
Despite what many would argue are significant unmet community college needs outside the Prescott area, the Yavapai Community College has announced it is returning men’s and women’s basketball to the Prescott Campus with the first games to be held in November 2022.
The Community College will have baseball, softball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, women’s basketball and men’s basketball all based in Prescott. It will also have a softball field, baseball field, two leased soccer fields, a practice soccer field and gymnasium only in the Prescott area. Dormitory facilities to house all of the athletes are located only on the Prescott Campus.
The basketball program was cut back in 2010 when the Community College claimed that state aid was forcing large across-the-board belt tightening. This included major reductions in staff and administrators on the east side of the County – not on the Prescott based west side.
Astonishingly, just two years (December 2012) after claiming major cutbacks were necessary because of extreme financial considerations, the Community College announced a $103.5 (at one time $119) million rebuild/renovation development program with over 95% going to the Prescott Campus area. More astonishing is the fact it intended to spend that money without a tax increase or a general obligation bond drive.
Since its announcement back in 2012-13, the Community College has plowed ahead with the millions in development as originally planned back in 2012 with hardly a whimper about a lack of funding.
Now, with educational needs going unmet in various areas around a County the size of Rhode Island, the Community College is announcing that men’s and women’s basketball will return in 2022. These programs bring little if anything to vast areas of the County because of disinterest, no public transportation to them, and extremely long and dangerous drives to attend them. They are more accoutrements for the Prescott Campus and citizens on the west side of the County living in the immediate Prescott area.
The search for hiring coaches for both programs has already begun. It is expected that the new coaching hires will be formally announced on November 18, 2021 at Yavapai College’s Basketball Celebration at Walraven Gymnasium to kick off the start of the reinstated programs.
Dr. Lisa B. Rhine, President of Yavapai College is quoted as saying: “Basketball is a popular sport and a great way to bring the community together. After several conversations with both internal and external constituents and with the financial support of a generous donor, we decided to bring basketball back to YC.”
Vice President of Community Relations & Student Development Rodney Jenkins says, “we plan to create an atmosphere that is both fun and family-friendly, making [the Community College] a great destination for local family fun. Both men’s and women’s basketball are rooted in the history of this institution, and we are all excited to welcome back the game, our alumni, and community to help us grow our programs.”
The donor contribution alluded to by Dr. Rhine is what some consider a fairly typical approach used by Institutions to start programs and projects that would be extremely unpopular in some quarters. (Who and how much was donated remains a mystery to the public.) However, after a few months or years, the taxpayers who support the Institutions are left holding the financial bag, so to speak, as donor funds evaporate. (Take for example, the current approximate $1 million dollar renovation/replacement costs associated with the roof and air conditioning at the Performing Arts Center or the hundreds of thousands, probably millions of dollars since it was first built, in subsidized funds paid out by taxpayers to keep the Center going.)
Too bad for the rest of Yavapai County.