LINKS
PETITIONPlease sign our petition to save dropped OU sports. Click here. If your current circumstances or position with Ohio University do not require anonymity, we request that you sign with your name rather than as "Anonymous" as some have. Thank you and thanks to the Women's Lacrosse blog for setting up this petition.MORE LINKSBobcat Attack Message BoardOhio University Alumni AssociationOU Students have an active discussion going on in FaceBook.Com. Click here to go to FaceBook.Com and join in.OU Student Newspaper "The Post Online"www.EquityinAthletics.orgSave James Madison University Sports.orgTaking Inside Higher Ed to the MatEMAIL CONTACT FOR THIS SITE: SaveOUSports ATgmailDOTcom |
PAGE 3 OF:ARTICLES AND NEWS REPORTS DOCUMENTING THE RECENT HISTORY OF OHIO UNIVERSITY'S DECISION TO DROP THREE VARSITY SPORTS TEAMSFrom "The Post Online," January 31, 2007 Senate to form Athletic Affairs committeeResolution condemns cutting varsity teamsEmily Grannis / For The Post / eg349206@ohiou.eduStudent Senate yesterday demanded budget justifications, analysis of considered alternatives, and all memoranda and meeting minutes involved in the athletic department’s recent decision to cut four varsity sports. The resolution condemning the cuts passed unanimously without any debate or discussion. “I’ve been lied to,” said Matt Bell, senator at-large and primary sponsor of the resolution. “I, amongst other student athletes, were told swimming and diving wouldn’t be cut during my tenure at OU. … There’s a major ethical conflict involved in not informing students of their financial situation.” Bell said that the athletic department has had financial problems since 2002 but continued to recruit students to the men’s swimming and diving, men’s track and field, and women’s lacrosse teams. He was upset that teams were not given warning or the option to do fundraising activities. “The teams were never given a chance to try to keep their teams in existence,” Bell said. “This decision to cut these sports needs to be very seriously re-examined.” Chris Diehl, Residence Life commissioner and another sponsor of the bill, argued there should have been more student input in the decision. “This is a major policy shift for a major department . . . and it seemed that everyone had an influence except those directly affected,” he said. Senate plans to form an Athletic Affairs committee comprising 3 to 4 senators, representatives from the cut sports as well as sports still in existence, an athletic department administrator, a member of a club sport and an administrator from the Student Affairs office. The Student Affairs representative might not be a voting position. Kent Smith, Student Senate adviser and vice president for Student Affairs, suggested adding a member of his staff to the committee to avoid a disconnect between administrators and students. “For me it’s just about connection,” he said. “To make sure we’re in the loop as well.” The committee’s goal would be to increase communication between athletes and administrators, Bell said. “The main purpose is to bring members of the athletic community together,” he said. “Another big point is the communication not only between sports but between the students and administrators needs to change.” Tim Vonville, Off-Campus Life commissioner and the bill’s third primary sponsor, expanded the committee’s mission. “It’s also to make sure that this never happens again,” he said, adding that he hopes the group will be able to get the cut teams reinstated. Allen Brindle, a member of Students Defending Students, used the Speakout portion of Senate’s meeting to encourage a vote of “no confidence” against OU President Roderick McDavis. “These problems can be fixed,” he said, referring to student rights issues. “But the only way is with new leadership.” Senate did not address his suggestion during its meeting. The love of their livesAthletes want voices heard, push forwardMichelle Munoz / Staff Writer / mm162504@ohiou.edu
[Click on the thumbnail for a larger picture.] After the dust settled on the athletic department’s decision, there are still people left standing and fighting for what they’ve lost, despite the fact that they have been told the decision is final. This decision to cut four sports has affected more than one hundred athletes and every one of them has a story that they want the administration to hear. Stories they never got to tell because no one ever asked. Juniors from all three teams said they aren’t sure if they want to continue putting money into an institution that they don’t feel respects them. They have made memories here, but those memories may not overshadow the anger they feel. “Do I want my diploma to say ‘Ohio’? Do I want my diploma to remind me every day of the organization, the institution that took away the biggest love of my life?” swimmer Cy Moser said. Junior John Willis from the track and field team said that when he walked on his freshman year, he was receiving an opportunity that other schools may not have presented. “From high school to my freshman year of college I worked so hard for this team,” said Willis. “It’s hard to take, I mean (the seniors) all get to leave at the end of the year having had their four years, and I get my senior year a year early.” Senior Craig Leon redshirted last season and has a year of eligibility left after this one, however, because of the timing of the announcement he has missed graduation deadlines for other schools and therefore is “stuck.” It has now become too late to enroll in most schools and also too late for some athletes to redshirt and save a year of eligibility. We’d do it for nothing One of the reasons that Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt gave last Thursday was that the department is no longer able to provide the experience that they’d like to. “It’s obvious that because of our financial position, we were not providing our student-athletes with the high-quality experience that is expected at Ohio University,” Hocutt said. Athletes from these sports all agree they would compete for nothing. “That’s like putting the cotton swab on my arm before you inject me with the lethal injection,” senior Austin Schiele, track and field team member, said. “What is that going to do? Nothing. That’s not helping us. That’s not making us feel better” Moser said the team managed to succeed even through the phasing out of its scholarships. “If the administration told us we had to pack bag lunches on our trips for food we’d do that to keep the program,” said Moser. Senior thrower Eric Bildstein, said that the team is constantly finding ways to save money, including ordering pizza on trips instead of going out to restaurants. Lacrosse team members Shannon Hadaway and Jen Heup said that they agree. “I know that if they had said ‘Hey we’re not going to be able to buy you new sticks or we’re not going to be able to buy you uniforms, we would have been OK with that,” said Heup. Family separation At the beginning of the academic year Hocutt gave a speech to the athletes regarding the three T’s of his goals: tradition, titles and teamwork. Many athletes from the cut teams are now feeling differently about the speech. Junior swimmer Drew Stetson said that the “teamwork” aspect is going to affect the women’s side of swimming. “It’s like a family, and to break that it’s just going to affect the women’s teams as well,” said Stetson. “I know a lot of girls on our team came here for the combined program aspect and training with guys, it just brings a totally different aspect.” The thing that hurts most of the athletes is the breaking up of their teams. Hadaway and Heup said they had already discussed having each other in their weddings and that the freshmen on their team had already made living arrangements, but without the bond of the sport future students will not be able to make such close friends. Track and field and swimming and diving athletes said the same was true for their teams. None of the athletes are prepared to accept that this decision is final. Senior sprinter Dan Bailey said that he and his teammates are in a planning phase. “(We are) getting ideas going and finding which ones are actually feasible and start doing something with them,” said Bailey.
[Click on the thumbnail for a larger picture.]
From "The Post Online"
Jan
26, 2007 Editorial:
Poor choices prevail Ill-timed elimination of 4 sports shows lack of professionalism, consideration of studentsOhio University administration seems determined to ensure a legacy of closed-door, callous decision-making. At least, that appears to be the case after yesterday’s out-of-the-blue announcement that the athletic department is cutting the lacrosse team, the men’s swimming and diving team, and the men’s indoor and outdoor track and field teams. Obviously, such decisions are not made overnight; this plan might have been in the works for years. In comparison, the lacrosse team was poised to begin their season in a month. The men’s swimming and diving is in the middle of its season; men’s track and field began its season three weeks ago.
The athletic department is running more than a $4 million debt. They knew this was coming. Waiting this long to tell athletes their programs are getting the ax is inexcusable.
Sure, sometimes tough decisions have to be made; sometimes hearts have to get broken in the process. But there’s a right way to do it, a professional way to handle it and OU — yet again — dropped the ball.
It would be a sweet gesture if the next time OU administrators decide to make major policy changes, they could at least pretend to give students a voice in the process. Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Post executive editors. |
DROPPED TEAMS
2006 Women's Lacrosse Team
Women's Save Ohio Lacrosse Blog
LaxPower.com message board discussion on OU LAX
Women's Lacrosse web page at OU website
Swimming and Diving
Save Ohio Swimming and DivingandSave Ohio Swimming
Swimming and Diving web page at OU website
Save Ohio University Swimming Discussion Forum
Track and Field
Bringing Back Ohio Track Blog
Track and Field web page at OU website
YouTube video put together for the Track and Field Team
|
|
Copyright 2007 - 2008 by SaveOUSports.org - Email: SaveOUSports AT gmail DOT comSaveOUsports.org is a non-profit group devoted to action that will reinstate discontinued varsity sports at Ohio University.
|
