I’m not a Millersville graduate, but I did go to West Chester University, another Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) school, and recently learned that Millersville has eliminated the Men’s Cross County and Track & Field programs. Perhaps I’m ignorant to the finances of running a university budget, but this is the 2nd school in the Philadelphia area to lose their running program (the first being University of Delaware). At a minimum, I think the kids deserved some notice. Here’s a petition going around for those interested…
The Track & Field and Cross Country programs at Millersville University in PA have been a valuable and competitive part of the University for almost 60 years. On February 14th around 2:00 P.M. the coaching staff was notified that Men’s Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track & Field as well as the contract of Head Coach, Scott Wieser, would all be terminated at the completion of the 2012 outdoor season. The University gave no warning, as well as no alternative financial plan for the already cost-effective teams. This is about more than one program at a D2 institution; this is about the budget cuts being made all over the country. These cuts to state universities inhibit us, as paying college students, from experiencing everything that college has to offer. Sign this petition not only if you support the re-institution of the Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field programs, but also if you believe that cutting money from state universities and education is unjust and unfair.
That’s why I signed a petition to Dr. Aminta Hawkins Breaux, Vice President for Student Affairs, which says:
“Help reverse the decision to cut Men’s Track and Field and Cross Country.”
I’m not a Millersville graduate, but I did go to West Chester University, another Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) school, and recently learned that Millersville has eliminated the Men’s Cross County and Track & Field programs. Perhaps I’m ignorant to the finances of running a university budget, but this is the 2nd school in the Philadelphia area to lose their running program (the first being University of Delaware). At a minimum, I think the kids deserved some notice. Here’s a petition going around for those interested…
The Track & Field and Cross Country programs at Millersville University in PA have been a valuable and competitive part of the University for almost 60 years. On February 14th around 2:00 P.M. the coaching staff was notified that Men’s Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track & Field as well as the contract of Head Coach, Scott Wieser, would all be terminated at the completion of the 2012 outdoor season. The University gave no warning, as well as no alternative financial plan for the already cost-effective teams. This is about more than one program at a D2 institution; this is about the budget cuts being made all over the country. These cuts to state universities inhibit us, as paying college students, from experiencing everything that college has to offer. Sign this petition not only if you support the re-institution of the Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field programs, but also if you believe that cutting money from state universities and education is unjust and unfair.
That’s why I signed a petition to Dr. Aminta Hawkins Breaux, Vice President for Student Affairs, which says:
“Help reverse the decision to cut Men’s Track and Field and Cross Country.”
I ran XC for Lock Haven as an under grad and trained with the XC team at California Univ of Pa as grad student. Both are PSAC schools. Sorry to hear that about Millersville. They were always well respected in the conference and it was a professionally run program back in the early 90’s.
But I see football is alive and well at MU. As a Slippery Rock Univ. grad it makes me sick to see the sports that are sacrificed to “preserve” football. SRU had the NCAA D1 National Championship men’s water polo team in the 1990’s…gone. Wrestling… gone. Why preserve football? It is not a $ generating sport in D2 sports and it sure does not promote lifetime fitness like sports such as swimming and running. It is hard to understand the priorities of these institutions. You could field XC, track, swimming, and wrestling for the price of just the football equipment not to mention the army of coaches football requires. It is maddening.
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**UCLA **dropped its swimming and diving team in 1994 that had produced 16 Olympic Gold Medalists, 41 individual national titles, and a team title in 1982.UCLA abandoned its men’s gymnastics team ten years after it had produced half of the United States team that won the gold medal in the 1984 Olympics.Since 1982, over **64 schools **have discontinued swimming and diving programs.**355 men’s college wrestling teams **(22,000 roster positions) have been eliminated over the past decade."
I hope you didn’t vote for Tom “I want to eliminate higher education in PA” Corbett.
Cheap shot but what does eliminating a XC and Track program at Millersville have to do with higher education. Corbett’s proposed education reforms seem solid at the K - 12 level - improved school choice by programs offerring tax credits for employers, opportunity scholarships, facilitation of more charter schools, as well as meaningful teacher evaluations.
Do you really think that Mr. Corbett’s plan is to eliminate higher education in PA ??
Another victim of title IX. Helps women’s sports at the expense of mens sports. Only about 62 schools in the whole country have a men’s volleyball team, but nearly all have women’s. I did go to Millersville and still live close by. It’s really sad to see a sport that costs almost no money being cut.
Another victim of title IX. Helps women’s sports at the expense of mens sports. Only about 62 schools in the whole country have a men’s volleyball team, but nearly all have women’s. I did go to Millersville and still live close by. It’s really sad to see a sport that costs almost no money being cut.
The real question is why Millersville could afford the XC and Track program in years past but not now ?? You are making an assumption that the cost of the women’s sports programs have resulted in the cancellation of some of the men’s programs. It could be that the overall Millersville budget has been reduced and/or the other components of that budget have increased resulting in less funding available for the sports teams requiring some difficult decisions to be made.
There are alternatives - the school I graduated from (Michigan Tech - the state of Michigan is a fiscal basket case) announced that it would have to cancel it’s football program a few years ago due to budget considerations. I group of alumni got together and with some help from our sister intra state school, U of M who sponsored a Bash in the Big House football game with Grand Valley at the U of M stadium, a fund and giving plan was put together so that the football team could continue. Maybe something like this could be done at Millersville ?? The budget for a track and XC team should be much smaller than football.
Honestly the whole Title IX excuse is just that, an excuse. I did quite a bit of research on it after the men’s swim team was cut at UCD the year after they won conference. There are several ways to be compliant under Title IX, only one of them requires straight monetary equality if I remember correctly.
That being said, cutting programs is almost never a good thing. Swimming in college made my college experience, I would not have gotten nearly the amount I did out of my 4 years if I would have been a “normal” student.
Following on the previous “hijack”; so… how is NCAA Triathlon going to work? Schools are dropping sports that either aren’t the mainstays i.e. football and basketball or that conflict with the title IX requirements. How many schools, once it becomes a collegiate sport, are actually going to put together a team.
Lets say that NCAA actually does implement Triathlon as a sport. How will the clubs (schools without an “official” NCAA team) compete? Will it be just as it has been with a USAT Collegiate (club) championship and a separate NCAA championship? Will the clubs be able to field teams in races that have NCAA teams entered.
Venting done; sorry for continuing the hijack of a reasonable plea to save a sport.
Here is a some news coverage on this topic for those interested. Also, the petition has already reached its 3,000 signature goal (well, a few signatures away) in a day or two. Apparently, issues like this strike a nerve…
“The real question is why Millersville could afford the XC and Track program in years past but not now ?? You are making an assumption that the cost of the women’s sports programs have resulted in the cancellation of some of the men’s programs.”
That’s the opposite of what I’m assuming. It’s not really about the cost of the women’s sports. Other things are taken into account, like the total number of athletes which is heavily skewed by football. Title IX works under the false assumption that you have as many female students interested in sports as you do male.
Ask the school how many FTEs are now lost due to this decision.
Short-sightedness & laziness by the athletic department. Laziness by those who blame Title IX.
My alma mater, Montana State University-Billings, added track & field because it increased their FTEs.
“The real question is why Millersville could afford the XC and Track program in years past but not now ?? You are making an assumption that the cost of the women’s sports programs have resulted in the cancellation of some of the men’s programs.”
That’s the opposite of what I’m assuming. It’s not really about the cost of the women’s sports. Other things are taken into account, like the total number of athletes which is heavily skewed by football. Title IX works under the false assumption that you have as many female students interested in sports as you do male.
Good point - obviously I’m no expert on Title IX and should not be making assumptions about your assumption. ( But my question about what has changed to drive the dropping of the running programs is still valid.
But my question about what has changed to drive the dropping of the running programs is still valid.