Proposal for the Continued Growth of the Bucknell Men's Crew Program

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to give key members of the University a concise opinion on the preferred future of the Bucknell Varsity Men's Crew team as it relates to pending Title IX decisions.  It has been prepared by a group of Bucknell Crew alumni.  This group has met with University administrators, trustees, and current students to help understand the current issues faced by the University and the rowing program.  Our experience at Bucknell and our conversations with the above listed constituencies have allowed us to reflect on these issues and consider alternatives which will help the University continue to operate a successful rowing program that will carry on the strong competitive rowing tradition which has been initiated and cultivated by dedicated students over the course of the last fifteen years.

Current Situation

Bucknell University is currently in its third year of a five-year program to become compliant with Title IX regulations that mandate equal athletic opportunities for men and women in proportion to the gender distribution found in the student body.  The University faces the challenge of eliminating a large gap between men and women in terms of both athletic opportunities and funding in order to obtain compliance.  Eliminating or adding a single team will not correct the situation.  In order to obtain compliance, many dramatic changes will need to happen within the Bucknell athletic community including roster caps, team additions and eliminations, and changes in funding.

As the University is considering the myriad of options, the elimination of the Bucknell Varsity Men's Crew program rises to the top for various reasons. 

1.     The Men's and Women's program share a coaching staff (one head coach and volunteer assistant coaches). The elimination of the Men's team would allow for the coaching staff to solely serve the women's program and offer a better experience for the women within the rowing program. 

2.     Crew is not a Patriot League sport and therefore does not contribute to the President's Cup.

3.     Men's Crew is not sanctioned by the NCAA.

Although these reasons are valid as it relates to the Title IX decision, the University community recognizes the benefits that the team provides to Bucknell.

1.     The opportunity that rowing provides to Bucknell students perfectly suits the student culture at the university. Bucknell students are active individuals who are in search of competitive environments and physically challenging opportunities.  For the last fifteen years, crew has given students the opportunity to walk-on and join a competitive athletic program and benefit from a collegiate varsity athletic experience.  These students have not trained through high school to make the team, as is the case with the majority of varsity athletes at Bucknell.  Most of the crew team is comprised of students who did not row in high school, and are thrilled to have the rowing program provide them the opportunity of competing at the varsity level in college. 

2.     The team provides intercollegiate competition with frame of reference colleges and universities, as well as schools in the upper tier (Ivy League).

3.     The team consistently has athletes that represent the highest standards of academic achievement.

4.     Team members have historically played, and continue to play, a significant role in the operations of the team, providing valuable leadership opportunities. 

5.     The alumni exhibit above average involvement in both the team and the University after graduation.

Current rowers and alumni, including both men and women, passionately feel that the benefits of the Crew team are consistent with the overall goals of both the University and the Athletic Department.  Furthermore, these benefits should be taken very seriously as they are evaluated against the equation being used to make Title IX decisions.

Implications of a Change to Club Status

Because one of the options being considered, by the University, is changing the Men's Crew team to a club sport, we would like to outline the issues that would face the team with a change of status.

1. Inadequate funding would seriously endanger the on-going existence of the team.

The team currently fundraises more than half of its operating budget.  This is achieved with a constant series of fundraisers that occupy much of the free time of the varsity team.  A change in status would reduce the funding by the university by approximately 67%.  The expectation that the team could make up this difference with additional fundraisers is unrealistic.  Additionally, it would place an unfair burden on the time of these athletes and could hamper their ability to meet their academic commitments.

2.    Alumni/Parent fundraising would decrease dramatically.

After reviewing data collected by University Relations, it is evident that crew alumni (men and women) and parents are regularly among the top donors to give to a sport at Bucknell.  Last year crew alumni and parents were second in giving among varsity sports.  This reflects the alumni's commitment to the University and the sport of rowing, as well as parents' support of their child's decision to row.  Because a change in status would mean that the men's crew team would be part of BSG and club sports, donations would not be able to be given directly to the team.  Monetary gifts to club sports are divided among all club sports.  A second concern is that donations to club sports are not tax deductible.  Lastly, club sports do not benefit from the University's tracking of alumni.  This is critical for successful fundraising campaigns as well as keeping alumni informed of the current success of the team.

3.    Competitiveness of the team would decrease dramatically.

Varsity athletes' commitment to their sport and their teammates differs from that of athletes competing at the club level.  We are concerned that with the financial struggles, expense of the sport, and the lack of varsity recognition, there would be a decrease in competitiveness, both within the team and nationally.  Additionally, the varsity status allows the Men's Crew team to more effectively recruit and retain quality rowers, as well as coaches.

4.    Threat to the shared experience between the Men's and Women's rowing programs.

The men's and women's rowing programs have always had a symbiotic relationship.  The teams have depended on each other in many ways, but particularly financially.  The programs share most of the equipment and the costs that come with traveling and team operations.  The men's program, as a club sport, would place a burden on both teams, particularly if the shared experience would no longer be allowed to continue and develop.

5.    Team selectivity

As a club sport, supported by BSG, crew would not be allowed to be selective.  Club sports are required to be open to all students who are interested in participating.  This requirement would place significant burden on the team in terms of competitiveness and finances.

Due to these factors, we sincerely feel that a move to club status would mean the end of the Men's Crew program at Bucknell in the near future.

Ideal Situation

Ideally, we would like to see the Men's Crew program remain varsity.  It would allow the team to continue to grow and compete at a high level.  It would also allow Bucknell students to participate in a varsity program that has a tradition of graduating exceptional student athletes who continue to give back to the university and participate actively as alumni.  However, we recognize that due to Title IX, Bucknell finds itself in a difficult situation.

A Compromise Proposal

In assessing the situation with the hope of finding a compromise, our group of alumni identified the aspects of varsity status that were important to the program.  Additionally, we looked at the factors which are important for the University to achieve compliance with Title IX.  As part of this compromise proposal, we have identified the three central components which the men's program would lose, but the loss of which would assist the University in meeting the requirements set forth by Title IX.

…       Male varsity athletic opportunities

…       University funding

…       Coaching positions

As we wrestled with the issue of losing these three components of the program we reached out to rowers and coaches at other universities who are encountering the same issues.  The University of Michigan Athletic Department (please see attached article) has spearheaded a program that we feel Bucknell can use as a model, and will help Bucknell with Title IX compliance while allowing the Men's Crew team to continue to compete at a high level.  This model calls for the development of a new athletic status called Club Varsity.  This status would allow the university to eliminate the sport from the varsity category.  This would benefit Bucknell in terms of Title IX regulations because it would allow for the University funding, coaching positions, and varsity athletic opportunities which are currently shared by the men's and women's programs to be solely allocated to women's athletics.  With the Club Varsity distinction, the men's program would be allowed to retain important components which would contribute to the legitimacy of the team and ensure its future success both on the water and financially. The Men's Crew program would continue to have access to:

…       The Bison Club (for fundraising efforts and alumni tracking)

…       Continued insurance coverage through the university

…       Training & locker room facilities

…       Coaching facilities (Office, etc.)

…       Equipment sharing between the men's and women's crew programs

…       Ergometer room facilities

…       Club Varsity status for increased legitimacy to assist with recruiting and retention

…       Sports information office coverage

…       Information dissemination through the Athletic Department (e.g. BucknellBison.com)

The changes to the team would eliminate the University sponsored coaching position and University funding.  This would be accomplished in a three-phased approach.

Phase 1

1.     Members of the Men's Crew team would be required to pay $350 per year due at the beginning of the second semester.  This funding would cover the operating expenses of the team that were once provided by the University.

2.     Coaching of the men's team would continue under the current system with one head coach for both the men's and women's team.  This salary and benefits would continue to be funded by the University during Phase 1.

3.     A campaign for a men's crew endowment would begin and would be lead by a Bucknell Men's Crew Alumni Association, which would be accountable to the University for meeting the goals of this proposal.  The endowment goals would be:

a.     $1 Million dollars within 3 years to endow the Men's head coaching position

b.     $3 Million dollars within 7 years to endow the Men's head coaching position and the operating expenses of the team

Phase 2

1.     After the establishment of the $1 Million endowment, the University funding of the Men's head coaching position would be eliminated.

2.     Members of the Men's crew team would still be required to pay $350 in dues to the team for operating expenses.

Phase 3

1.     After the establishment of the $3 Million endowment, the student dues system would be eliminated.

It is important to note that during the implementation of this plan we ask that there not be roster caps placed on the men's crew program.  Currently, the team is capped at twenty rowers.  This allows for ten novice rowers and ten varsity rowers. In order to ensure the success of this plan there needs to be a strong group of current rowers to allow for a competitive athletic experience, and to continue the historically successful fundraising efforts of the crew team. This is not possible with a team that is held to twenty rowers.

We feel that this proposal addresses the situation that faces the University and the Men's Crew team.  We would appreciate the opportunity to discuss the details of this proposal with you in person.  Please feel free to contact any one of us if any questions arise.

Thank you,

The Men's Crew Team Alumni Committee