‘Feels like a huge betrayal’: Florida Institute of Technology eliminates five varsity sports programs

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Florida Institute of Expertise confirmed that it was eliminating 5 varsity sports activities and turning them into membership groups, which has now left among the student-athletes who performed these sports activities feeling betrayed and in limbo.

The sports activities being eradicated are males’s and ladies’s rowing, males’s and ladies’s cross nation and monitor, and males’s golf.

“I used to be actually shocked as a result of we had no thought this was even taking place,” stated Avery Cook dinner, who transferred to Florida Tech. from Oregon to compete in cross nation. “We’ve been paying to go to this faculty, have this expertise. So to have this taken away from us looks like an enormous betrayal.”

Thomas Frances, who was on the rowing group, stated the varsity’s determination was “very disappointing.”

The varsity declined an on-camera interview request with FOX 35.

In a press release included in a information launch, Jamie Joss, the varsity’s athletic director, stated the choice was “not a cost-cutting measure, however reasonably a strategic determination” to extend the varsity’s competitiveness.

“At present, with 17 sponsored varsity sports activities, our sources are merely unfold too skinny to adequately help every at a aggressive stage. Our Athletics Division is dedicated to main the convention in scholar-athlete tutorial success whereas additionally fielding extremely aggressive athletic applications that deliver pleasure to the college. This realignment will empower our core 11 convention sports activities with the elevated sources and focus required to higher obtain this imaginative and prescient,” he stated in a press release. 

The varsity stated scholarships for impacted student-athletes can be honored.

Frances hoped to remain in class an additional yr to work towards his Grasp’s diploma.

“With out the additional scholarship, it’s going to be tough to justify that,” he stated.

Cook dinner stated as membership applications, athletes will not have entry to trainers.

“As membership athletes, you don’t have entry to athletic trainers which helps with restoration damage prevention,” she stated.

Pupil Ashton Stringer stated athletes may even lose entry to high school medical health insurance in the event that they’re injured at observe. “It makes you lose belief in them,” she stated.

Florida Tech. reduce its soccer program two years in the past, based on sports activities radio host Billy Matthews.

“They’re gonna miss out on getting some college students to go there,” he stated in response to the information.

“”It’s not essentially the applications themselves, however quantity of individuals it’s a must to rent to run these applications. And that’s the place they’re saying cash is thru administration greater than the rest,” he stated.

As of Friday evening. greater than 3,000 individuals had signed a web based petition wanting the varsity to reinstate the applications