Misleading Narrative: The Athletics Department is an expensive program that has been deficit spending for years.
Facts:
The Athletics Department hasn’t had a budget increase in almost 40 years.
Athletics has been promised an athletics complex since 2006.
Athletics runs 23 programs and has tentatively agreed to reduce programs by 6. That is a reduction of more than a quarter.
Full-Time Faculty/Coaching Positions (over the life of the bond, 2006-2020) has already been reduced by 6 FT Positions
Health & Kinesiology has been dealing with inadequate facilities, including buildings rife with mold and broken equipment. They do not have their own football stadium, thus having to rent high school fields.
Nearly all assistant coaches work for free in off-season classes and non-traditional season events in order to maintain athletic programs.
Athletic faculty fund raise up to $200,000 annually in order to provide necessities for student success in our programs.
Athletics and Kinesiology has put forward a plan to help provide some improvements to facilities using some of the remaining Prop M money. These plans still allow for all the other Executive Council's recommended projects and so far has been well received.
Athletics plays a critical role at the college.
About 70% of their students are students of color.
Student Athletes take an average of 2.25 years to complete or transfer.
Student Athletes complete an average of 23.9 units in an academic year, with 95% of them full-time.
The Athletics pathway provides an avenue into college for students who might otherwise have not chosen an academic path.
In other words, they help get students onto the path, stay on the path, and complete the path!
Bottom Line: The Athletics, Health, and Kinesiology Department has been taken for granted for many years. It is time that we help them to cross the finish line of getting what they need to effectively conduct their programs and serve their students, even in this time of financial difficulties.