In a rare glimmer of an opportunity granted to supporters of the Wright State Swimming & Diving program, a target has been set to save the team for at least a year.
In mid-May, Wright State University announced that they would be dropping their men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams due to budget constraints – a move that they estimated would save $500,000.
The amount needed to extend the program’s future for a year, however, is much, much lower. After working with the team’s coach Kyle Oaks and the Collegiate Swim Coaches’ Association of America (CSCAA), the university agreed to extend the program’s life for another season if just $85,000 are raised by June 30th, 2017.
The terms agreed to by the CSCAA and Wright State University:
The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) will receive donations to support the WSU Swimming and Diving Program. If the funding level reaches the required level of $85,000, the CSCAA will transfer the sum of $76,500 to Wright State University (WSU) for the express purpose of preserving the WSU Swimming and Diving Program. The additional 10% or $8,500 “contingency” will be made available to WSU under the guidelines below (“The contingency is needed because of potential changes/adjustments/problems in the budget figures that are being put together. There is no safety net in the event of unforeseen circumstances, hence the contingency.”– As stated by Bob Grant):
- The funds will be kept in the external foundation/CSCAA Forum Account until needed by the Swimming & Diving Program.
- Proof of these funds will be provided to WSU prior to theJune 30, 2017 deadline.
- Prior to transferring any funds, WSU will be required to designate specific use of the funds.
Once the friends of WSU Swimming and Diving have established an independent external foundation, the CSCAA will disperse all donations designated to support the WSU Swimming and Diving program to the external foundation.
Ways to Donate:
- Online at: http://www.cscaa.org/savewrightstate
- The CSCAA will process check payments at C/O Greg Lockard, CSCAA, Attn: Wright State Fund, PO Box 121, Essex Fells, NJ 07021.
The CSCAA will issue updates on the status of the fund every 48 hours, and we will post those updates as soon as they are available.
For reference, 2,774 people signed a recent petition on change.org endeavoring to “Save WSU Swimming and Diving.” If each person who signed that petition donated just $30, the goal would effectively be met. Today alone, if everyone who read SwimSwam donated $1, that would more-than-cover the year. That’s how close we are to saving a collegiate swim program. That’s how attainable this goal is.
The time is now – this is the most attainable goal for saving a swim program that we’ve ever seen – act to help save Wright State Swimming & Diving.
What is sad is this act makes incompetent university bureaucrats look good. “Well, we like our swim team, we just cannot keep it… but if you give us money, we just might, but only for a year. Meanwhile, we will raise salaries for incompetent professors who stopped learning after they got tenured.” There is so much wrong in public universities.
Meanwhile, my donations go to a food bank and a shelter for victims of domestic abuse.
Wish I could give this comment above 10 thumbs up. Psychodad is 100% spot on.
My thoughts, exactly.
As of today, CSCAA is showing just over $18,000 raised. Raising $85,000 from the swimming community to save a DI Program should not be that difficult.
Hashtag activism and petition signing won’t save this program. You have an opportunity to make a difference and save a program. Open up your hearts and wallets an make a donation today. The deadline is June 30th.
I truly hope that the fundraising efforts are successful! But I want to share an opinion that I have about this that I discussed a few years back with a long time former NCAA and Olympic head coach about. He told me that the problem with alumni, etc coming to the rescue in terms of generating funds to save a program can actually work against college swimming in the long run. His thought was that every time a program threatens to cut a program due to “budgetary constraints”, and the alumni produce the funds to save it, that it makes other athletic directors take notice and think “what a GREAT idea, maybe we should do this with OUR college to… Read more »
Alumni need to pursue endowments.
Endowments are definitely the way to go – and the CSCAA is keen on establishing those endowments. Unfortunately, they sometimes get into emergency situations like this and have to save the program first, and then push for endowments.
Hopefully many alumni feel like you do, and rather than waiting, will do what Texas, for example, has done, and launched an endowment drive proactively. This is the long-term save for swimming at the NCAA level. If we can beat every other sport to the punch, swimming will become the one that makes it out alive from whatever the next 10-20 years of evolution of college football looks like.
Absolutely spot on.
Am not affiliated with WSU.
But have been influenced directly by so many of the great coaches and teammates decades ago who were on deck or in the water guiding and proding me.
Personally, it has lasted a lifetime…Ray, Jochums, Steen, Dexter, Runkle, Morton, Galvich, Lewis, Thomas, Gene Lee, Jennings, Lindsay…and respect the great representation of all the MAC, Horizon and the other conference coaches – all teaching, that life is full of struggles.
Directly or indirectly Boyle, Jones, Linn, Collins, Rick at SIU, Misner(CMU), Gilders, Stubbs, to name a few – all made us better. As competitors improved, it made us reset goals.
Certainly, they offered challenges to those lucky enough to step outside of one’s… Read more »
WSU should guarantee full refund if they change their minds.
Would be great to see wide spread support of this initiative from the swimming and diving community throughout the country.
Sending in my contribution now.
Challenge all Vikings, Cardinals, Redhawks, Bearcats, Salukis, Eagles, Bulls, Lords, Bobcats, Rockets, Zips, Musketeers – and all Midwest current or former swimmers, divers, coaches, and friends or families of any of these programs to step up – you can make a difference.
Give what you can – it will make a huge statement.
Don’t let this opportunity pass by.
Consider posting this appeal everywhere – and offer something for the greater good.
It will feel pretty amazing knowing you have made a difference.
This is the message I got after donating. It appears that they are going to return the donations if the program is not saved.
Thank-You for your generous donation of $25 to help save the Wright State Swimming & Diving programs.
Here is what is happening next.
Whereas the Wright State University Fundraising arm will not return any gifts should we fall short of the $85,000 required for the continuation of the WSU Swimming and Diving program, your donation will be held by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America until such time Wright State agrees to sustain the program.
Should Wright State University not preserve the program, your donation will be returned.
We… Read more »
As Braden Said. This is a rare opportunity to stand up for college swimming ! I’m sure gold medal Mel is donating as we speak. Student athletes shouldn’t suffer for administrators fiscal incompetence.