New Jersey Heavy Hitter Wants to Save Rutgers Sports Legislators Are Listening to Pleas for Help, Will Mulcahy Listen?

By Jason Marsteller

PHOENIX, Arizona, December 6. BASED on Swimming World Magazine's recent conversations with parties intimately involved in the Rutgers sport cuts that went down on July 14 of this year and recent reports by The Star-Ledger in New Jersey, the survival of Rutgers' men's swimming and diving program along with men's heavyweight crew, men's lightweight crew, men's fencing, women's fencing and men's tennis rests solely in the hands of Rutgers Director of Athletics Robert E. Mulcahy III.

Consider the following:
* The Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine has been overheard to say that the subject of saving the six sports has been the most frequently talked about topic for him these days.

* State budgets will be set in January, and there is growing support among various state legislators to address the issue of covering the Rutgers shortfall in the newest budget talks. However, state law forbids the legislature from telling different institutions how they will spend that money once it is ear-marked. Therefore, even if the State provided Rutgers with the cash to fix the issue, Rutgers would be able to do whatever they wished with that money.

The previous would be great news to the ears of everyone hoping for a positive outcome to these cuts, until you consider this last bit of information:
* In meetings as recent as last week, a coalition of these six sports met with Mulcahy to offer a variety of solutions that address the cuts both financially and organizationally. Mulcahy's response to these viable solutions was not positive.

Back when Mulcahy dropped the axe on the six sports, he said the following in Rutgers' press release:
"But this action is absolutely necessary when faced with our financial challenges. The decision to eliminate six of our athletic teams is part of the university-wide effort to cut costs in the wake of the recently adopted state budget, which significantly reduced funding for higher education and left Rutgers with an unprecedented shortfall of approximately $80 million that has resulted in position eliminations, layoffs, and reductions in courses and services offered."

Why then, will Mulcahy not even try viable options at solving the "financial challenges" that allegedly led to these cuts in the first place?

In another connected story, The Star-Ledger announced that Rutgers' head football coach Greg Schiano received a raise that increased his annual income from private sources from $325,000 to $625,000, with his total compensation breaking into the $1 million range. This last year, Schiano made $191,000 before receiving an extension from Mulcahy running through 2012.

Unfortunately for Rutgers, with the recent budget cuts, they really don't have the money to cover this extension. Therefore, like any other collegiate program in the country in a similar position, Rutgers will have to ask its boosters to cover the costs as reported in Matthew Futterman's piece in Tuesday's The Star-Ledger.

The most heartening part of this article came in the form of a potential White Knight for the six cut sports.

According to Futterman's piece, "George Zoffinger, chief executive of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and the chairman of the Rutgers Board of Governors audit committee, said raising a half-million dollars from local alumni and business interests for Schiano was the right move if it means saving the six sports the university wants to cut.

‘You have a lot of people in these (Olympic) sports that have been cut resentful of the football program," Zoffinger said. "If we could do both things — save the other sports and keep Schiano for the long term — it could work because the success of the program is generating excess funds to do that.'"

How Zoffinger intends to raise or pledge the money as part of the solution is yet to be determined.

Once again, we question if Mulcahy will ever take anyone up on their offer to solve the "financial challenges" that allegedly led to the cuts in the first place, or was Mulcahy's true intent to rid himself of sports that might never be considered "revenue" programs.

This is a battle that must be won if the Olympic sport community wishes to secure its very existence. While some might say this is not the best arena to win a battle, Swimming World Magazine says – if not now, then when? We might be losing the war for the hearts, minds and bodies of our future as opportunities for gifted athletes in non-match-play sports (i.e. baseball, basketball and football) continue to be thrown into the bureaucratic shredder.

Let your voices be heard by following the advice of Phillip Whitten, the Executive Director of the College Swim Coaches Association of America.

"What You Can Do
"Right now we need to flood the key decision-makers – members of the BOG, the University president, and New Jersey state legislators, with e-mails and letters supporting men's swimming at Rutgers," Whitten said. "Make sure you send copies to www.saverutgersswimming.org, and preferably send copies to local New Jersey newspapers."

Here are some suggestions:
∙ Tailor the letter to the recipient: for example, stress the impact cutting men's swimming will have on New Jersey youth in writing to your state legislator.
∙ Share your personal story
∙ Share your feelings (distress, sadness, outrage, disappointment, etc)
∙ How RU Swimming has impacted your (or you child's) life
∙ How elimination will impact you (or your child)
∙ Express outrage over the decision to eliminate sports without thoroughly examining all possible ways to cut cost and increase revenues.
∙ Express outrage over the decision to eliminate sports without contacting the alumni and asking for help.
∙ Express outrage about treating young men this way without thoroughly exploring all options.
∙ Express outrage at the unwillingness to spread these loss of revenue among all sports, rather than focusing them on a few.
∙ Share your views on the value of men's swimming (to RU, State of NJ, etc.) – Use Talking Points posted on the website (www.saverutgersswimming.org) for ideas
∙ Share consequences of failure to restore the program, for example:
∙ Negative image created for Rutgers by cutting men's swimming based on criteria (facilities, conference affiliation, Title IX) that do not match up to reality.
∙ Negative Impact on the women's swimming & diving team
∙ Lost opportunity to compete at The State University of New Jersey in Division I swimming for more than 4,000 N.J. young men who compete in High School Swimming in New Jersey, as well as the thousands who compete at the YMCA and Club levels.
∙ Loss of your support as a football/basketball ticket purchaser for Rutgers events.
∙ Loss of your support as a financial contributor to Rutgers.
∙ Negative public image for Rutgers as it ignores its Mission Statement for athletics in order to focus more money on football.
∙ Negative public image for Rutgers as it eliminates many of the athletes who are its highest academic achievers to focus more money on football.
∙ Negative image for Rutgers as it creates Title IX problems for itself by cutting sports, which violates the spirit of Title IX, and is a "disfavored practice" by the Office of Civil Rights.
∙ For Non-New Jersey residents – Share how you came to know Rutgers as an excellent school through its success in swimming. Now your view of Rutgers has significantly changed in light of their decision to cut swimming, cut high academic achievers and so they can focus more money on football.

Request accountability and ask for a reply/response

Please send a copy of all letters to saverutgersswimming@gmail.com

Having an Impact
To have the greatest impact, send separate letters to each member of the BOG. The 15 members are listed below, followed by their address:

Board of Governors:
Please address letters specifically to each board member (one letter per board member).
Ideal Option – Write letters addressed specifically to each BOG Member, and mail them in separate envelopes, to the BOG address below.
Next Best Option – Write letters addressed specifically to each BOG Member, and mail them in one envelope to the BOG address below.

Members of the Board of Governors:
Albert Gamper, Jr., Chairman
M. William Howard, Jr.
Robert A. Laudicina
Patricia Nachtigal
Gene O'Hara
John F. Russo, Sr.
Patrick M. Ryan
George R. Zoffinger
Ronald W. Giaconia, Vice Chairman
Leslie E. Goodman
Duncan L. MacMillan
Martha A. Cotter, Faculty Rep.
Paul L. Leath, Faculty Rep.
Jillian E. Curtis, Student Rep.
Leslie A. Fehrenbach

Write to them at:
Secretary of the Boards
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Old Queen's • College Avenue Campus
83 Somerset Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
fehrenbach@oldqueens.rutgers.edu

You can also write to the University president. Richard McCormick:
President Richard McCormick
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Old Queen's • College Avenue Campus
83 Somerset Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
president@rutgers.edu"

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