| # | Name | Comments |
|---|
| 2351 | Judy Cramer | |
| 2352 | David Ostroske | |
| 2353 | Jennifer Case | Although I didn't compete on any of the teams facing the cut, I was a club sports athelete at OU and I sincerely believe in all three teams' value at Ohio. These teams bring in great atheletes and great students, and that must be some other way to stretch the budget. It seems such a shame that this is the only answer anyone in the leadership positions at OU have come up with. |
| 2354 | Toby Reep | This type of thought process is what is killing Track & Field in the US. Shame on the AD and his administrators for supporting such a university weakening idea. Your student athletes make your university stronger and more appealing, in academcis and athletics. HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| 2355 | Andrew Dittenhofer | |
| 2356 | Jon Little | Keep fighting. |
| 2357 | Laura Biel | |
| 2358 | Anonymous | hard to believe the president took a 300k bonus facing a large deficet. their spending priorities are out of line. |
| 2359 | Brian Lee | Thank you for listening. |
| 2360 | Chad Ratkovich | There has to be a better way to do things...the administration's answer seems to be ridiculously short-sighted. |
| 2361 | Damon Page | |
| 2362 | Michael J. Gady | As a former OU swimmer, I strongly object to the elimination of the OU Swimming Teams for reasonas to numerous to list here. I believe fiscal mismanagement has played a role here and other options need to be found to preserve the rich tradition and potential of OU Swim Teams. |
| 2363 | Bob Parks | I coached track and XC at EMU for 34 years and am now retired. Stan Huntsman and Elmore Banton are good friends. It is ridiculous what has happened in the MAC. Basically, the MAC championship for men has been ruined by the unconscionable actions of some short-sighted administrators at the various schools who don't know what they have done and don't care. The MAC swimming championship is now down to 4 teams, which is one below the limit and track indoors will be only one above that (outdoors 2 over). Could Buffalo be next? It is copy cat, monkey see, monkey do syndrome. They are losing money. Walk-on revenue could be huge, as is minority enrollment. A FB player, Scott Mayle, who would might not have been at OU except for track, is one of the best long jumpers in the country and scored a long TD run vs EMU last fall. The problem is overspending in FB and it is getting worse. The MAC was in four flunky bowl games last fall, three of which were mostly paid for by themselves. EMU was 1-11 in FB and lost to OU by 8 pts, to WMU by 3, and to CMU in OT and all of them made bowl games. How good could they be, if they won close games over a 1-11 team? OU has great track tradition. Elmore Banton was a long-time coach (and a minority) and also was NCAA XC champion in 1964. Stan Huntsman left OU to win NCAA titles at Tenn. and Texas and was also US Head Olympic Coach. They are ignoring such revered men as these. Hocutt and McDavis are making a big mistake and ought to be ashamed of themselves for dropping track and swimming at OU and also for being the final nail in the coffin for MAC mens' swimming and the next to the last one for MAC mens' track and field. |
| 2364 | Kelsey Hegg | The same thing happened to our men's soccer. |
| 2365 | Jonathan W. Smith (Wain) | Unbelievable to even consider cutting such a classic sport as diving & swimming. Such a valuable program to the students and athletes, its a shame they are doing this and it should be stopped. The diving and swimming alumni alone could fund that program with a few charity events and calls for donations. LOST A LOT OF RESPECT for an A.D. who could not even give forewarning of a financial crisis with a call to raise funds.
B.A. 1993, "HBC" Diver 1989 |
| 2366 | Emily Hobel | I was on the women's swimming team from 1997-2001. The fact that there was a men's team not only made OU a top choice, but enhanced my college experience more than I can convey. AD Kirby Hocutt said he did this to "ehance the student athlete experience".... to get rid of the team will do the exact opposite. |
| 2367 | Anonymous | I was a member of the OU Varsity swim team from 1979-1983 and was very surprised and disappointed when I heard about the decision to cut the Men's Swim Team. It is hard to understand the reasoning of the decision makers and it seems that alternative solutions could be found.
LONG LIVE OU VARSITY SWIMMING! |
| 2368 | Anonymous | Track & Field, as well as Swimming, are sports ALL major universities should make available to their students. While they do not bring in the $ that Football does, they are an integral part of university life and promote team spirit as well as individual accomplishment. |
| 2369 | Jessica Weston | |
| 2370 | John Rochford | |
| 2371 | Anonymous | |
| 2372 | Ryan Matlock | let's go Penn State! |
| 2373 | Greg Gould | |
| 2374 | Stephen Ferguson | |
| 2375 | Anonymous | |
| 2376 | Carl M. Palmer | The only thing that most University decision
makers pay attention to is money. There is an extensive list with email addresses of many swimming alums. A scholarship fund must be built with a special clause that it will be sent to another Mid American school with a swimming program should the OU swimming program be cut. I pledge $100.00 to this fund. PS this is not a loss to title IX - it is a loss to the holy grail - football. |
| 2377 | Melissa A. Downs RN | |
| 2378 | shane brandhuber | |
| 2379 | Albert A. Morley | |
| 2380 | Louise Montoya | |
| 2381 | Werner E. Minshall | |
| 2382 | Brian Kavanaugh | Ohio U. MSPE '93 and a graduate assistant coach for Elmore Banton. Ohio will never see another dime from me as long as this decision stands. |
| 2383 | Mac R. Morrison | |
| 2384 | Marcia Palser-Hincks | What are you thinking - how on earth can you cut the swimming/diving program. These young men are superb athletes and you are taking this away from them !!!!!!! RETHINK THIS DECISION PLEASE. |
| 2385 | Anonymous | |
| 2386 | maureen ochsner | |
| 2387 | Robert K. Sparks | ...---...SOS save our swimmers. |
| 2388 | natalie bevilacqua | |
| 2389 | Elizabeth McCrary | |
| 2390 | Katie McCrary | |
| 2391 | Jay McCrary | |
| 2392 | Anonymous | Athletic programs such as football shouldn't receive such an abundance of funding when other programs are being eliminated--especially, when football and basketball players often don't complete their educations, lured by the possibilities of big contracts with the NFL and NBA. |
| 2393 | Michael Filing | Sports is such a great part of so many students' college experience... please don't take this away from these students and future students. |
| 2394 | Gara Gorgone | Please consider an alternate solution to cutting the mens track team. It has changed my sons life. It would be a shame to not see that happen to more people. |
| 2395 | David Dobson | |
| 2396 | Neil Krueger | Consider cutting your football program. Why would you cut a sport that attracts good academic male athletics to OU? Swimming is is one of the highest participation sports in the USA. I swam 4 years for OU and was a MAC champion. We need minor sports at OU. |
| 2397 | Anonymous | Ohio Track and Field has had a strong history... there is not legitimate reason in canceling the program. |
| 2398 | Matthew Starkey | College sports and sports in general in one of the best experiences we can offer children as they grow up. Athletics provides learning experinces that help students to grow as adults and become strong leaders. Participation on a college athletic team is a charteristic often recognized by many employers. As proof to this statement look to the Ford administration. When Ford was in office he looked for two qualities in people he hired on his staff, did they server in the military and did they participate in college sports. To take away these teams is from your university is to deprive some of your students from a valuable learning experience. Is it really worth the sacrifice just to save a couple of dollars. |
| 2399 | w. steven boller | |
| 2400 | Pat Beeman | |