Fresno State won't eliminate sports or reduce scholarships as the athletic department seeks to cut costs during the tough economic times, athletic director Thomas Boeh said Monday.
Fresno State added two women's teams, lacrosse and swimming and diving, last fall to stay in compliance with Title IX, and Boeh said "any disruption of that balance is a problem."
In a wide-ranging interview with The Bee, Boeh declined to answer questions about football coach Pat Hill's contract, said student-athletes were being affected by the purging of class sections and added that administrators are restricting other items -- such as travel and end-of-year banquets -- to help with budget issues.
The California budget crisis has heavily pressured state universities and colleges to raise revenues and cut expenditures. Campuses have raised student fees, sliced hundreds of class offerings and placed teachers and other employees on furloughs. Athletic departments aren't exempt from the moves.
Boeh said football coaches will be subject to furloughs during the season, but added he didn't have full details.
Boeh did not want to answer questions about Hill's contract.
"We're just going to let him coach," Boeh said.
Hill has two seasons left on his five-year contract that has a base salary of about $562,500 and can reach up to $1.2 million if bonus standards are met.
"We're not going to engage in that conversation," Boeh said. "It's not fair to anyone. It's not appropriate."
While the football team and other teams may be affected by coaching furloughs, no Fresno State team will be cut, Boeh said.
"We are not in position, as other schools have done recently, to reduce programming," he said. "What we're trying to do is become extremely efficient and focus on our student-athletes."
Along with the number of sports, there also is a formula for the number of scholarships that must be available for female and male athletes for universities to remain Title IX compliant. Boeh called that "a delicate balance."
What's becoming more of a chore is managing athletes' class schedules. With hundreds of fall classes being cut -- and summer class slashings as well -- some Fresno State athletes are finding it more difficult to get the classes they need to graduate.
Junior H-back Vince Pascoe said he was having trouble finding classes in his mechanical engineering major.
"It's tough to get my schedule because a lot of the classes that are prerequisites for the upper-division classes are in the afternoons [during practice]," Pascoe said. "With the [summer school] cuts, they're only offered in the spring and fall."
Senior running back Reynard Camp said one of his required criminology classes was killed, but he countered by picking up a different criminology class: tragedy averted.
Senior running back Jamaal Rashad made a similar move. When he couldn't find a class he needed, he was forced into an independent study course -- one he'd rather not take but one that will fill the requirement just as well.
He also said the classes he desired this summer for his international business major were not available, which meant he didn't qualify as a full-time student to receive his scholarship. Instead he took a campus summer job pulling weeds, painting and doing other facilities maintenance with about nine other players for $8 an hour to pay rent so he could be available for voluntary summer workouts.
Assistant athletic director Susan Gutkind, who oversees academic services for the student-athletes, said many of the summer scheduling issues come up because players have completed their general education courses they need and their advanced classes no longer are offered during the summer.
She said the student-athletes actually have been getting lucky thus far: "There haven't been that many student-athletes in affected classes."
Student-athletes are one of several priority groups that register on the first day. Gutkind said that helps keep most on track academically.
"That's huge," she said. "That's the ball game right there if you're talking about the most impacting thing."
Gutkind added that the first week of classes would be hectic as students and student-athletes alike will try to crash closed courses in order to make it onto class rosters at the last minute.
"That happens every year, and it's going to be crazier this year," she said.
One aspect that has benefitted the program might be shut down completely in 2010: spring enrollees. Gutkind and Boeh said there will be no spring admissions in 2010, though Boeh said there could be some exceptions.
Effect? Freshman quarterback Derek Carr enrolled in January just so he could have a shot at starting this fall. Now in August camp, Carr is in the thick of the battle for the most important position on the field. Without spring admission, he and other players would be behind and the football team would likely be less potent because of it.
A few rules are needed to help foster a feeling of community. We encourage a free and open exchange of ideas in a climate of mutual respect, but any post that violates someone's right to use and enjoy fresnobee.com is prohibited. Before you post, please read the terms of use and obey these simple guidelines.
Here are the ground rules:
Contents of this site are © Copyright The Fresno Bee. All rights reserved.
E-Mail
Print
@Nyx.CommentBody@