The CSUSB Athletics Department, like every other department on campus, is being hit by the budget cuts. However, the department is doing everything they can to maintain the student athlete experience.
“Every team overall is experiencing budget cuts, it’s a domino effect,” said Rita Franco, assistant to Athletic Director Dr. Hatcher.
Athletic Trainer Laura Watkins also emphasized that student-athlete welfare will not be compromised due to the cuts.
“We are having to cut things like t-shirts for the student trainers and new uniforms,” Watkins said. “Nothing detrimental like supplies or student insurance.”
Every team has encountered cutting unessential equipment and travel expenses so they can keep playing.
Traveling cost is the largest portion of every team’s budget. This means that out-of-state games are being cut out of the schedules across the board.
“We are asking the coaches to do more fund raising,” Franco said.
Men’s soccer is ahead of the game. They have started a booster club that goes into the community to look for sponsors. The coaches have developed a “Coyote Goal Pack” to help the fund raising effort.
The Goal Pack is a video with interviews from the coaches and players discussing the equipment needed and travel costs. Possible donors can actually see what their money is going towards and can pick what they are giving money for.
“We won’t let the economy dictate what our men do,” said head coach Noah Kooiman.
Men’s basketball head coach Jeff Oliver had to make changes to the Men’s basketball schedule because of the smaller budget. The season traditionally opens with a tournament in Seattle, Washington. This tournament is being cut. Games in Las Vegas are also being cut out of the schedule.
“Travel takes most of the budget. We have no fluff in terms of equipment. For example, we are using the same uniforms this coming year,” Oliver said.
Men’s basketball hosts a ‘Coach’s Corner’ meeting, where current and possible donors can come in for drinks and hoers d'oeuvres and a ‘pregame’ chat with the coaching staff before each home game. Women’s basketball coach, Kevin Becker, is evaluating costs. They are looking specifically at travel, officials, equipment and recruiting to determine where cuts can be made.
Baseball coach Don Parnell can relate to these hardships. Baseball players are restricted to travel by bus, use of the same uniforms and the same 10-year-old travel bags. Players also have to provide their own shoes, bats and other gear. The baseball scholarship amount has not changed since 1999.
“We are not able to spend less. Travel is our biggest expense and another team just got added to the conference,” Parnell said. “Travel alone wipes out our budget.”
Mike Murphy, information manager for the Athletics Department, explained that each team has a specific number of games played in each season. Basketball plays 27 games, soccer 20, volleyball 27. Out-of-state games are being cut, so Coyote teams have to look for in-state teams to play. This is where the newest school in the conference comes in.
Cal State University East Bay is a new school that was voted into the conference this year. This change is both positive and a negative. It is beneficial because it eases scheduling, yet it adds onto every team’s travel expenses because it is so far north.
Parnell believes that men’s soccer and baseball are hit the hardest by the addition of this new competitor.
“We have the largest men’s teams and receive the least funding,” said Parnell.
Men’s sports are struggling especially hard because of the budget cuts. The Cal Nal Decree is a settlement between the California National Organization for Women and the CSU system. The terms of the settlement dictate a proportionate amount of the CSU operational budget spent on women’s sports as women enrolled in the university.
At CSUSB this means almost 70 percent of the budget is spent on women’s sports.
Budget cuts hit athletes
Published: Friday, May 15, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 17:09
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