2008 Woodie Awards
Vote Absentee
Teams likely to be cut as Athletics struggles with $800K budget cut
Bridgette Blight
Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: News
04/09/08 - The Athletic Department could announce as early as today which varsity sports will be eliminated next year after an $840,000 budget cut.
Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn remained tight-lipped about which team or teams face the chopping block, saying yesterday no decisions had been made.
"We want to minimize the sports affected," Bjorn said. "It's very difficult."
Bjorn said he met with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee last Tuesday to discuss potential cuts, which have not been made public. With a substantial budget cut, there was no way that sports teams would not be affected, Bjorn said.
"We can't cut horizontally anymore," Bjorn said, referring to cutting money from each sports team. "Our programs run efficiently, and we have to do the best we can to keep the current level of funding."
Bjorn declined to speculate which teams would be cut. He said his department created three plans for eliminating the $840,000. A consultant is looking at the plans to ensure that sports team cuts are in line with Title IX legislation, he said. Title IX, federal legislation that prohibits gender discrimination in educational activities that receive federal funding, greatly impacts athletic departments. Bjorn said that he believes his plan will adhere to Title IX, but must hear back from a consultant before publicly announcing the plan.
"I wouldn't comment on any scenarios," Bjorn said. "We've had student-athletes, alumni and parents ask about it, and I've said that we will let them know as soon as I know … We can't [announce the cuts] until we get the ok," Bjorn said.
If the consultant finds that the Athletic Department's plans are not Title IX compliant, Bjorn and his colleagues will have to create a new plan to deal with the budget reduction.
"We want to move quickly," he said. "It is unfair to the student-athletes and the coaches."
Sports teams will not be the only aspect of the Athletic Department affected by budget cuts. Bjorn said that Athletics has looked at early retirement of staff members and not filling vacant positions. But with such a large budget cut, staff cuts are also a possibility.
Bjorn would not say which staff positions his department has considered, but said that some administrative positions would be consolidated.
"This puts me in a position to restructure our department," Bjorn said. As the new athletic director, he was planning on restructuring athletics, but the budget crisis forced him to decide what could be cut while still maintaining a quality department.
Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn remained tight-lipped about which team or teams face the chopping block, saying yesterday no decisions had been made.
"We want to minimize the sports affected," Bjorn said. "It's very difficult."
Bjorn said he met with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee last Tuesday to discuss potential cuts, which have not been made public. With a substantial budget cut, there was no way that sports teams would not be affected, Bjorn said.
"We can't cut horizontally anymore," Bjorn said, referring to cutting money from each sports team. "Our programs run efficiently, and we have to do the best we can to keep the current level of funding."
Bjorn declined to speculate which teams would be cut. He said his department created three plans for eliminating the $840,000. A consultant is looking at the plans to ensure that sports team cuts are in line with Title IX legislation, he said. Title IX, federal legislation that prohibits gender discrimination in educational activities that receive federal funding, greatly impacts athletic departments. Bjorn said that he believes his plan will adhere to Title IX, but must hear back from a consultant before publicly announcing the plan.
"I wouldn't comment on any scenarios," Bjorn said. "We've had student-athletes, alumni and parents ask about it, and I've said that we will let them know as soon as I know … We can't [announce the cuts] until we get the ok," Bjorn said.
If the consultant finds that the Athletic Department's plans are not Title IX compliant, Bjorn and his colleagues will have to create a new plan to deal with the budget reduction.
"We want to move quickly," he said. "It is unfair to the student-athletes and the coaches."
Sports teams will not be the only aspect of the Athletic Department affected by budget cuts. Bjorn said that Athletics has looked at early retirement of staff members and not filling vacant positions. But with such a large budget cut, staff cuts are also a possibility.
Bjorn would not say which staff positions his department has considered, but said that some administrative positions would be consolidated.
"This puts me in a position to restructure our department," Bjorn said. As the new athletic director, he was planning on restructuring athletics, but the budget crisis forced him to decide what could be cut while still maintaining a quality department.