Eastern Washington University Possibly Moving Down Divsions

[Anthony215]

This article suggests that EWU financially can't afford to sustain their program at the current level and will meet to possibly cut from the football budget and going from FCS to D2/D3

EWU Board of Trustees to discuss potential budget cuts to football program, move to lower division | News | khq.com (https://www.khq.com/news/ewu-board-of-trustees-to-discuss-budget-cuts-to-football-program-move-to-lower-division/article_08523330-94d1-11ee-aaa0-bb440486e210.html?fbclid=IwAR1CQo8UiPLzRNIvDDhr1KY 5HOLqcjGBbh8eNH4LYYFzoYcFgx8ZreEIE5U)

[Puddin Tane]

Wasnt it last year that they were talking of shutting it down completely?

[DFW HOYA]

The report doesn't seem to realize that you can't move football down without moving everyone else as well.

https://in.ewu.edu/sra/wp-content/uploads/sites/418/2023/12/USTF_-SRA-Report.pdf

[Mocs123]

I guess you could go to the Patriot League and still keep all other sports D1. It's saves the scholarship money but doesn't really help with travel costs.

[DFW HOYA]

I guess you could go to the Patriot League and still keep all other sports D1. It's saves the scholarship money but doesn't really help with travel costs.

No one wants to do this. And don't forget, PL football is 60 full scholarships for (almost) every school.

[Sir William]

I guess you could go to the Patriot League and still keep all other sports D1. It's saves the scholarship money but doesn't really help with travel costs.

You mean Pioneer League. This would seem to be a more likely option than moving all sports to D2..

[Franks Tanks]

The report doesn't seem to realize that you can't move football down without moving everyone else as well.

https://in.ewu.edu/sra/wp-content/uploads/sites/418/2023/12/USTF_-SRA-Report.pdf

Good grief, how does their committee not know the rules? Unfortunately, D2 football is all but dead in the Northwest so that option will require lots of travel.

[Mocdaddy]

Western Washing ton State (D2) shut down their football program in 2008. Is this a thing in Washington State to "defund" or financially cripple lower division schools?

[ElCid]

War on football? By certain forces? I don't like the direction college football is headed, but there are people who will use this situation to kill it where they can.

[SU DOG]

Wasnt it last year that they were talking of shutting it down completely?


Yeah, in Feb of 2020 a report was submitted by David Syphers, a professor in the Physics Dept. that even suggested possibly eliminating ALL athletics. This current report states that football at this level is not sustainable for a school the size of EWU. While there are schools much larger, EWU is still in approximate size (total enrollment) with Idaho, Northern Colorado, and Idaho State if the figures I looked at are accurate. IMO, size is a very lame excuse conjured up by folks who have a definite vendetta.

[MUHAWKS]

do they still have that rule where in order to have D1 hoops you need football to at least be some level of d 1? o

[Libertine]

do they still have that rule where in order to have D1 hoops you need football to at least be some level of d 1? o
Yes. It's commonly referred to as the Dayton Rule.

[Dane96]

Trustees, per my understanding, shot any moves or deemphasizing of sports down.

This happens every year (it seems) at EWU.

[CHIP72]

do they still have that rule where in order to have D1 hoops you need football to at least be some level of d 1? o

The Pioneer League exists for a reason.

A number of years ago, the MAAC (or at least I think it was the MAAC) was the same way (D1 non-scholarship football, D1 scholarship other sports). La Salle was one of the schools that fit description before the school dropped football. (Before the NCAA rule change, La Salle, like some of the Pioneer League schools, played football at the D3 level.)


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[CHIP72]

Trustees, per my understanding, shot any moves or deemphasizing of sports down.

This happens every year (it seems) at EWU.

I’m sure Eastern Washington (or at least the trustees at Eastern Washington) looks at nearby Gonzaga and thinks greater sports glory could come to EWU with some smart moves and a little luck.


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[Catbooster]

Trustees, per my understanding, shot any moves or deemphasizing of sports down.

This happens every year (it seems) at EWU.
This.

Every few years they have these meetings/this debate it seems, led by a small(?) group of professors who assume all of the money for football would suddenly go to their academic pursuits. It often seems like the proposal is very naïve (like not accounting for the fact all sports would have to drop to DII if the football team does).

That being said, it does seem that despite their success in previous years, the football program doesn't seem to gain much traction with community support.

Maybe Kalm has some insight.

[Baron Sardonicus]

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I think they were talking about moving to the Pioneer Football League. Patty V. always insisted they were a different level of football.

[KnightoftheRedFlash]

This.

Every few years they have these meetings/this debate it seems, led by a small(?) group of professors who assume all of the money for football would suddenly go to their academic pursuits. It often seems like the proposal is very naïve (like not accounting for the fact all sports would have to drop to DII if the football team does).

That being said, it does seem that despite their success in previous years, the football program doesn't seem to gain much traction with community support.

Maybe Kalm has some insight.

Most professors are clueless outside their areas of study.

[Preferred Walk-On]

Most professors are clueless outside their areas of study.

Most people are clueless outside their area of employment. FIFY.

[Preferred Walk-On]

Western Washing ton State (D2) shut down their football program in 2008. Is this a thing in Washington State to "defund" or financially cripple lower division schools?

North Dakota is a prime example of "defunding" higher education. So I guess it matters who makes the decisions for state funding of public institutions. Read into that what you will.

I guess Team Makers and the NIL Collective better be ready to pony up to make up for this deficiency.

[MSUBobcat]

Maybe if someone reached out to Cooper Kupp (and Kendrick Bourne, Samson Ebukam, even Colin Cowherd), they could be convinced to knock down some of the deficit.

[dbackjon]

Most people are clueless outside their area of employment. FIFY.

Most people are clueless FTFY

[Libertine]

Most people are clueless outside their area of employment.

1. This statement is completely true.

2. This statement is posted on AGS.

3. This statement is an in-ground pool full of irony and my head is swimming in it.

[Preferred Walk-On]

1. This statement is completely true.

2. This statement is posted on AGS.

3. This statement is an in-ground pool full of irony and my head is swimming in it.

Oh, the irony here is not lost.


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[kalm]

It’s sensationalistic journalism. The BoT already stated it’s committed to DI after the outside study last year. This is a couple of professors with a decades long axe to grind who are fearing cuts to academic departments including their own.

[dbackjon]

It’s sensationalistic journalism. The BoT already stated it’s committed to DI after the outside study last year. This is a couple of professors with a decades long axe to grind who are fearing cuts to academic departments including their own.

So when is EWU's last season? 2024 or 2025?

[POD Knows]

North Dakota is a prime example of "defunding" higher education. So I guess it matters who makes the decisions for state funding of public institutions. Read into that what you will.

I guess Team Makers and the NIL Collective better be ready to pony up to make up for this deficiency.
Provide link.

[kalm]

Provide link.

There’s one in the OP.

[kalm]

Some around the next time NAU wins the conference. Decades?

[Preferred Walk-On]

Provide link.

Google it!


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[ElCid]

It’s sensationalistic journalism. The BoT already stated it’s committed to DI after the outside study last year. This is a couple of professors with a decades long axe to grind who are fearing cuts to academic departments including their own.

I thought the same about ETSU back a couple decades. But I think the pieces fell together to disband the program when certain individuals were in put in positions of power. I would have never predicted that. An ETSU alum will have to chime in if I'm mistaken, but I think as soon as the President who presided over the programs demise left, it was reinstated.

[Puddin Tane]

Yeah, in Feb of 2020 a report was submitted by David Syphers, a professor in the Physics Dept. that even suggested possibly eliminating ALL athletics. This current report states that football at this level is not sustainable for a school the size of EWU. While there are schools much larger, EWU is still in approximate size (total enrollment) with Idaho, Northern Colorado, and Idaho State if the figures I looked at are accurate. IMO, size is a very lame excuse conjured up by folks who have a definite vendetta.

yup. They are bigger than half the schools in the Southland

[Go...gate]

I guess you could go to the Patriot League and still keep all other sports D1. It's saves the scholarship money but doesn't really help with travel costs.

Pioneer League, not Patriot League.

[Go...gate]

I thought the same about ETSU back a couple decades. But I think the pieces fell together to disband the program when certain individuals were in put in positions of power. I would have never predicted that. An ETSU alum will have to chime in if I'm mistaken, but I think as soon as the President who presided over the programs demise left, it was reinstated.

We need that scenario at Boston University and Hofstra.

[bonarae]

We need that scenario at Boston University and Hofstra.

I'm afraid those two are more like Wichita State, Omaha and Pacific California... xsmhx

[kalm]

Yeah, in Feb of 2020 a report was submitted by David Syphers, a professor in the Physics Dept. that even suggested possibly eliminating ALL athletics. This current report states that football at this level is not sustainable for a school the size of EWU. While there are schools much larger, EWU is still in approximate size (total enrollment) with Idaho, Northern Colorado, and Idaho State if the figures I looked at are accurate. IMO, size is a very lame excuse conjured up by folks who have a definite vendetta.

Yep. Then the university commissioned a study just last year by the Pictor Group which strongly recommended remaining DI. That’s when the BOT released the statement that we would do so.

[dbackjon]

Some around the next time NAU wins the conference. Decades?


Scoreboard, biotch

[kalm]

Yeah, in Feb of 2020 a report was submitted by David Syphers, a professor in the Physics Dept. that even suggested possibly eliminating ALL athletics. This current report states that football at this level is not sustainable for a school the size of EWU. While there are schools much larger, EWU is still in approximate size (total enrollment) with Idaho, Northern Colorado, and Idaho State if the figures I looked at are accurate. IMO, size is a very lame excuse conjured up by folks who have a definite vendetta.


Scoreboard, biotch

Lol

[POD Knows]

There’s one in the OP.
I am talking about the reference to higher ed in ND

[Pinnum]

ItÂ’s sensationalistic journalism. The BoT already stated itÂ’s committed to DI after the outside study last year. This is a couple of professors with a decades long axe to grind who are fearing cuts to academic departments including their own.

It's clear that this committee isn't representative of the campus community as a whole. The BoT represents the stakeholders of the whole institution a lot more than this committee.


The programing and services findings from the committee were interesting. They broke different items into different categories based on their priority for them. Some I thought were interesting prioritizations to make for the services and I listed those that caught my eye below...


1. Invest (enhance resources allocated to program)


- College of Arts, Social Sciences, & Humanities, Art Gallery
- College of Health Sci & Publ Health, Parasport Programs (Wheelchair Basketball) https://goeags.com/sports/2020/9/30/ewu-wheelchair-basketball.aspx
- Diversity & Inclusion DEI, Training/Development/Events
- Facilities, Sustainability
- Office of Academic Affairs, Satori Camps (for junior high and high school students, a one-week journey toward their own personal enlightenment) https://inside.ewu.edu/satoricamp/all-about-satori/
- Office of President, Tribal Relations
- Student Affairs, ASEWU (a resource for student activism, providing students with leadership opportunities, promoting diversity and inclusion, and being an informed, unified student voice)
- Student Affairs, Multicultural Center (The Multicultural Center is a “home away from home” for students of color and folks of intersecting identities)
- Student Affairs, Pride Center (supporting LGBTQ+) https://inside.ewu.edu/pridecenter/
- Undergrad Acad Policy & Planning College, Assistance Migrant Program (supporting students with migrant and seasonal farm worker backgrounds during their first year of college with financial assistance and support services)


2. Maintain (continue with current resources)

- College of Arts, Social Sciences, & Humanities, Symphony Scholarships
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Cheerleaders
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Development and Promotion
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Men's Track/Cross Country
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Strength & Conditioning
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Women's Golf
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Women's Soccer
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Women's Tennis
- Intercollegiate Athletics Women's Track/Cross Country
- Intercollegiate Athletics Women's Volleyball
- Office of Academic Affairs, Faculty Commons


3. Streamline (continue program with reduced resources)


- Facilities Building Maintenance, Facilities Fabrication Shop
- Facilities, HVAC Shop
- Financial Services, General Accounting
- Financial Services, Payroll Services
- Human Resources, Benefits Administration
- Information Technology, Cloud and Data Center Infrastructure Services
- Information Technology, Enterprise Administrative Services
- Information Technology, Help Desk and User Support Services
- Information Technology, Instructional Technology and Web Services
- Information Technology, Student Technology Fee Administration
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Compliance Office
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Men's Basketball
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Men's Tennis
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Sports Information
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Student Support
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Women's Basketball
- Office of President, Board of Trustees
- Office of President, Government Relations
- Office of President, President's Office Operations
- Public Safety, Emergency Services


4. Transform (change the program through reorganization and reduction in resources)

- Information Technology, Network and Telecom Services
- Intercollegiate Athletics, General Operations (all other)
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Football
- Intercollegiate Athletics, Summer Sports Camps
- Office of Advancement, Advancement Services
- Office of Advancement, Alumni Relations
- Office of Advancement, Annual Giving
- Office of Advancement, Media Relations
- Office of Advancement, Planned Giving
- Records & Registration, Commencements
- Sports & Recreation Center, Aquatics



5. Disinvest (candidate for phase-out; subject to additional review by senior
leadership)


- Enrollment Services, Summer Session Operations
- Office of Academic Affairs, Strategic Planning
- Student Affairs, Housing- Residence Hall Operations (Facilities & Custodial)

[Libertine]

3. Streamline (continue program with reduced resources)


- Facilities Building Maintenance,

5. Disinvest (candidate for phase-out; subject to additional review by senior
leadership)
...
- Student Affairs, Housing- Residence Hall Operations (Facilities & Custodial)

Regardless of anything else, these two things right here are evidence that these people are disconnected from reality. There is no faster way to ruin the campus experience for absolutely everyone than to cut the cleaning crew.