worst of the P5 conferences and runs the risk of not having a seat at the big boys table in the future. Across the country, most P5 schools have a top quality aquatics program of some sort, whether that be men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, men's water polo, or women's water polo. Just because they don't have all four programs or only one of the four does not mean they are not elite at one of the sports. And they typically have top quality aquatics facilities because, as was mentioned ad nauseum already by others, aquatics facilities serve the students, faculty, and communities. They enrich and enlighten university life as well as that of the surrounding community. If universities are about pursuing excellence and enlightenment (in many disciplines math, science, law, business, humanities, arts, music, athletics, fitness) then it is misguided to leave something like aquatics behind. Most students who take a music course or an arts course either never major in that field and thus never add monetary value in the world from that education, but their lives are enriched and their experiences benefit them and their peers (in fact, many who major in these fields end up not using their degrees in their jobs, but we still see fit to educate people in the arts). So for me the same goes with aquatics: build a quality facility because universities are about pursuing excellence and enrichment. As has been mentioned, many high schools have a better facility (including several I grew up around that weren't even in wealthy neighborhoods).