Lariviere appoints mild mannered accountant as Athletic Director

7/15/2010: Makes sense. Between Jamie Moffit and this Mullen guy, Lariviere just might be able to whip UO athletics into shape.

Under Mullen’s 2010 budget, Kentucky’s athletic department isn’t just self-supporting, they will give UK’s academic side $1.7 million for academic scholarships. Imagine that!

Meanwhile, while the UO athletic department claims not to rely on state money when asking for donations, this is not true. It has been taking $1.2 million from state lottery funds that should go to need based financial aid, and giving it to the jocks. Then the UO Foundation gives them another $9.4 million for athletic scholarships – versus only $6.9 million for academic and need based. (2008-09 numbers.) And now Frances Dyke is increasing  parking fees for students, faculty and staff, to make us subsidize fancy underground parking for Matt Court and the Jock Box. And of course academics gave athletics the land for the Jock Box gratis, and is going to pay all the $30 million in bonds for the arena land for the next 30 years. (Fact check on that last insinuation, anyone?).