Trending
LOCK HAVEN -- Decisions should be delayed about athletics and potentially cutting two sports at Lock Haven University, according to the LHU faculty union.
At its membership meeting Tuesday, the chapter of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) approved the following resolution: "We urge President Fiorentino to delay decision until next year on the athletics realignment plan recently forwarded by the vice president, particularly as that plan envisions eliminating or curtailing particular sports. Decisions should be delayed pending a transparent consideration of input from a wide range of university constituencies as well as a more complete and considered response to those perspectives and concepts that coaches and students have already shared with administration."
The statement was released Wednesday by Dr. Stanley P. Berard, APSCUF chapter president and professor of political science at LHU.
The two sports proposed to be cut are men's track and field, both indoor and outdoor.
Berard said the faculty have seen the final draft of the athletics proposal that is now on the desk of Dr. Michael Fiorentino Jr., university president.
"The faculty is concerned that the process of making these decisions is going too quickly," Berard said.
Students spoke at a recent meeting of the university's council of trustees on the matter. They were well received and complimented on how they presented themselves and their ideas.
"We think some of the ideas they put forward deserve a little more consideration," Berard said.
There appears to be an almost automatic presumption that the university needs to cut sports, he said, adding "I'd like to have a better picture of that."
"Certainly we understand we have a challenging time in both appropriations and student enrollments. As I told the trustees, we are concerned that this would result in a net loss of students. Even a small number makes a difference right now," he said. "We understand that we are not going to have the enrollments we had 10 years ago. The faculty generally are concerned that we are not thinking abut things that could help counter the trend."
The coaches have suggested adding sports instead of cutting teams, to both satisfy equal opportunity requirements and also attract new students. Berard said these ideas are worth more consideration.
In the end, if it turns out that sports need to be dropped, he said, students need more time than part of one semester to decide whether to continue at LHU or to transfer to a school where they can play their sport.
"I'm afraid of losing some current freshmen and sophomores who came here to play track and field," Berard said. "I'll miss them in my classes."