UCI Athletic Programs Get a Glimmer of Hope

IRVINE —  After listening to nearly two hours of pleas from supporters of UC Irvine’s recently eliminated men’s track and cross-country programs, Horace Mitchell, vice chancellor of student affairs, Wednesday said there is a chance the programs could be reinstated, but only on a self-supporting basis.

Mitchell, along with Tom Ford, athletic director, and Ed Carroll, assistant athletic director for financial affairs, held a question-and-answer session with about 60 members of the Anteater men’s and women’s track and cross-country teams at Crawford Hall. The meeting, which also included several parents and alumni, was arranged in response to the athletes’ on-campus protest earlier Wednesday.

The discussion touched on several issues relating to the administration’s decision last month to drop men’s track and cross-country--as well as baseball--in order to partially alleviate the athletic department’s budget deficit.

But the athletes, including many who have been scrambling to find other universities to transfer to, seemed to focus on one question: Why had they not been given an opportunity to raise the money to save the programs?

“You gave us no opportunity,” said Mike Hewitt, a senior pole vaulter. “You just said good bye.”

Ford responded by saying the administration’s decision to eliminate the sports would stand--”Reinstatement is not an issue we’d address,” he said, stressing that dropping three men’s sports also would help alleviate the department’s gender-equity imbalance.

But Mitchell later offered the athletes a small degree of hope.

“I hear what you’re saying about your confidence in raising funds,” he said. “We can’t just say yes to that (based) on promises and expectations. On one hand, I don’t want to slam the door. On the other hand, I don’t want to open the door (because it might build unrealistic hopes).”

But for the majority of supporters present Wednesday, any opportunity seemed opportunity enough. Several of the athletes’ parents spoke out saying the program--one that produced Steve Scott, the American record-holder in the mile, and now lists 26 scholar athletes on its men’s and women’s rosters--deserves better. Then they demanded a deadline be set for the money to be raised.

“We need to have a little administrative time in terms of the date issue,” Mitchell said. “Tom (Ford) will have to get back to you.”

Mitchell emphasized that saving the program for one year was unrealistic. “Coming up with money for a single year is just a Band-Aid. For it to work, they need some kind of endowment for the long term.”

Vince O’Boyle, Irvine’s track and field director, who is considering a coaching job offer from the Air Force Academy, said he’d love to see the program saved, but he’s cautious.

“Will it mean we’re going to have track and field at UCI next year? I don’t know,” O’Boyle said. “I’m not going to build false hopes. You can’t. These kids have already gone through enough.”