Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt's Monthly Comments
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January 16, 2008
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January 31, 2007
Dear Bobcat Fans,
As you may know, on Thursday, January 25th it was announced that Ohio Athletics will no longer offer men's indoor and outdoor track, men's swimming and diving and women's lacrosse as varsity sports after the end of the current season.
This was an extremely difficult decision for everyone because it affects the lives of nearly 100 of our student-athletes and eight of our coaches. The impact that this decision has on these individuals is enormous, and our deepest sympathy is with each of the individuals this affects.
Please know that we will do everything we can to assist these student-athletes and coaches. As such, those student-athletes currently participating in the affected sports who plan to stay and complete their undergraduate education at Ohio University will continue to receive grants-in-aid at their current levels for a period equal to their remaining eligibility. Ohio Athletics will also provide assistance to those student-athletes who wish to transfer to another institution to continue their athletic careers.
The decision to cut sports was a long and difficult one. Many alternatives were discussed and researched. Our research was comprehensive, and we've had some very respected individuals working to address the state of intercollegiate athletics at Ohio. Cutting sports programs is the last thing any athletics administrator wants to do.
Over the past year, we've had to face some very significant issues head on. These issues, which have compounded over the past many years, include the financial viability of Ohio Athletics, our university's commitment to compliance with Title IX and Ohio's commitment to providing a high-quality experience for each of our student-athletes. Ohio Athletics couldn't move forward without addressing each of these issues. If we did not address these now, we would put not only our priorities at risk, but our entire program at risk.
Please know that our priorities are the following:
Financial Challenges
Upon my appointment as Athletics Director, 17 months ago, I received a presidential mandate to operate our athletics department within our available resources - to be fiscally responsible. Ohio Athletics faces significant budget challenges over the next three to five years.
In 2005, the Division I Financial Report indicated that Ohio University sponsored 20 sports, the second-largest athletic program in the Mid-American Conference and the 39th-largest program in Division I-A (out of 118 Division I-A programs at the time), yet our athletics budget was in the bottom half of the conference.
That report ranked Ohio University 11th, next to last in the MAC, and 111th nationally, for our expenses per female student-athlete and last in the MAC, and 114th nationally, for our expenses per male student-athlete. Over the course of the past many years, our expenses have significantly exceeded our financial resources.
The decision to eliminate four sports does not solve our financial situation, but it is one of the first steps to a long-term recovery plan. You should know, after these four sports are dissolved, Ohio will offer the 16 sports necessary to remain a Division I-A program.
We are focused and working diligently to develop a sustainable business model in which we can grow and provide a quality experience for our student-athletes.
Providing a High Quality Experience
Ohio University is committed to providing a high-quality experience for each and every student-athlete that competes for the Bobcats. We will accept nothing short of providing all of our student-athletes with a positive environment to achieve their academic and athletic aspirations. Unfortunately, our financial position has prohibited us from providing the level of experience that is expected at Ohio University.
We have made some significant advancement's capitalizing on revenue opportunities. Thanks to you, the Ohio Bobcat Club has increased unrestricted donations by 73% in 2006. This is a significant improvement and future growth of the Bobcat Club will be vital as we grow our athletics program.
Tickets are another area, and there's no better sales tool than a winning program. Football season ticket sales are up 88% over the past two years and men's basketball season ticket sales are up 50% this year. Again, we're making progress.
On the corporate marketing front, we have expanded our existing partnership with ISP Sports recently, resulting in a guaranteed 54% increase in revenue over next four years.
There is much to be done, but we are moving in the right direction.
Title IX
Ohio University is committed to compliance with this federal statute that guarantees equal rights to educational programs for everyone regardless of gender.
There are three ways to comply with Title IX.
1) The level of intercollegiate athletic participation opportunities for male and female students are provided in numbers substantially proportionate to their respective enrollments.
2) The institution can show a history and continuing practice of program expansion for its underrepresented athletic program, in our case that being our women's program.
3) The institution can demonstrate that the interest and abilities of the members of the underrepresented gender have been fully and effectively accommodated by the present program.
In 1995 Ohio University adopted a Gender Equity Plan that called for the addition of three women's programs. The following three women's programs were added:
1997 - women's soccer
1998 - women's golf
1999 - women's lacrosse
In May 2001, as a follow up to their 1998 review, the NCAA requested that Ohio University submit a report indicating its plan to continue compliance with Title IX. Representatives from Ohio University developed a revised gender equity plan indicating a fourth women's sport would be "definitively determined on or before September 1, 2002." This never happened and the plan was never acted upon.
Simply put, Ohio Intercollegiate Athletics has not met our goal of compliance with Title IX. And due to our financial position we cannot add a women's program. This leaves us, as it has seven other MAC Institutions since 1999, to take the necessary measures of dissolving sport programs to continue our commitment to compliance with this federal statute.
The need to comply with Title IX is not a new issue for this department to deal with. Again, this is an issue that existed for many years and still has not been met. We could not delay action any longer. This decision is one of the first steps in development of a Comprehensive Gender Equity Plan that will assist in guiding our decision-making in the future.
In closing, I want to assure you that although an extremely difficult decision has been made, it will ultimately place us in the very best position to be successful. In the midst of this difficult news, we need your support more than ever as we go through this challenging time. Thank you for your continued support of Ohio Athletics.
Go Bobcats!
Kirby
