Cal Poly Launches Campaign to Reverse Swim Program Cuts
Cal Poly swimming and diving team has launched a campaign to reverse the school’s discontinuation of its program, which the university announced last week.
The SaveCPSwimdive campaign has begun fundraising, within the first two days raising 10 percent of its initial $200,000 goal. Families of students had already raised $80,000, a stated goal from the athletic department given at the start of the season. Cal Poly cited a $450,000 budget shortfall, in part due to the fallout from the NCAA’s fallout in the House case, as a reason for the termination of the program. It was the only athletic program reduction announced by the school in San Luis Obispo among a suite of other university reorganization.
A petition on change.org has already garnered more than 17,000 signatures as of Wednesday night.
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The parents and family members behind the campaign, however, stress that more than money is at play.
“This is not about money — this is an attack on our sport,” the group writes. “This isn’t just about saving our team; it’s about standing up for the sport of swimming. A loss of our program is a loss of an opportunity for countless young swimmers today. This decision sets a dangerous precedent for non-revenue sports across the country. Please sign and share our petition, and help us.”
The SaveCPSwimdive account can be found on Instagram here.