My name is Rick Walker. I am the head men’s swimming coach at SIUC. I am writing to voice my total disgust at recent act of an individual claiming to be against the athletic fee increase.

Five of my swimmers were at Gatsby’s playing pool Feb. 13. A blonde woman wearing glasses approached them and slammed a brochure down on the table in the middle of their game. She started explaining they should oppose the athletic fee increase. They told her they were athletes and were the wrong ones to talk to. She then proceeded to go off on them, stating they were all getting free education and were not worthy of any support because they were not successful. They again said they were athletes and were not interested. Frustrated, she turned and started to leave. Before she left she turned back and spit, hitting my athlete in the chest. She then turned and ran out.

If spitting on someone was not bad enough, let me give some more depressing facts. Free education! The young man she spit on was a walk-on with a grade point average more than 3.0. The five athletes constitute a profit to the University of $29,600. We are considered a non-revenue sport because we do not take in a gate, not because we do not bring a profit to the University.

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Successful! We have won every MVC Conference Championship, two National Independent Championships and eight Eastern Independent Championships. We have had NCAA finalists, Olympians and National Team athletes. Recently we had two represent the USA and Canada in the Pan Pacific Games and the World Championships bringing back two silver and three bronze medals.

We have always tried to do the best we could with what we receive. There are a total of 8.7 scholarships available to spread out among 24 athletes. I rely on walk-ons for success. Now I have to explain to this swimmer’s mom why she has to pay close to $8,000 for her son to get an education, be an athlete and get spit on by someone claiming to represent the student body. We do not have wasteful spending as brochures have claimed.

It is cowardly for someone to spit on another to prove their immature ability to communicate. It is more shameful to have spit on one of the kindest, hardest-working athletes I have.

To the young man, I am sorry you had to have this experience at SIUC. You certainly did not deserve it. I am confident Undergraduate Student Government meant what it said in that this opposition was not against athletes or athletics. Unfortunately, this woman missed that part.

head coach, men’s swimming