Ball State athletics director Bubba Cunningham has received a formal recommendation to reduce the number of varsity programs at Ball State University from 22 to 16.
Cunningham said Wednesday the committee that made the recommendation was enacted in late April to review Ball State's athletic budgets. He called it a committee that was created in "an effort to save money."
The committee was asked to study the budgets and make recommendations, if necessary, on how to save money.
The recommendation handed to Cunningham on Monday included the suggestion that he cut four men's programs -- indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, swimming and volleyball -- and two women's programs -- field hockey and gymnastics.
Cunningham was quick to point out that this is only a recommendation. The first year athletics director explained that he will take the committee's recommendation into consideration and then may make his own recommendation to president Blaine Brownell.
He said the projected budget for the coming academic year is of the capacity to pay for all 22 programs, thus indicating that if a cut does take place, it may be a full year before it takes effect.
"I don't want to speculate on what might happen," Cunningham said. "Right now we are in the middle of a process that may take all summer."
The U.S. Office of Postsecondary Education is in charge of collecting reports from more than 2,000 universities each year that disclose expenditure and revenue totals in athletics. Such paper work falls under the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act, which was authorized by Congress in 1998 in amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965.
According to the 2001-2002 Ball State EADA report, if the university were to cut all six teams it would save $222,828.
When breaking it down, in 2001-2002 the four men's teams cost $140,783.
The two women's teams that were recommended to be cut cost a combined $82,045, with field hockey reporting $37,692 and gymnastics costing $44,353.
News of the recommendation to Cunningham comes more than a month after fellow Mid-American Conference school University of Toledo made similar cuts. Toledo cut three programs -- men's indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and swimming. Toledo announced that the cuts would be effective fall 2003.
Cunningham said Wednesday that the committee recommended the cuts take effect in the 2004-2005 academic year and student athletes retain their scholarships for as long as they are eligible.
Cunningham explained that the creation of the committee was in light of decreased allocation of funds from the state and an increase in expenses.
"A lot of factors play into the recommendation," he said. "You have to consider cost, equity, success, amount of regional competition and many other things."
Cunningham said one reason he put the committee into action was because expenses have begun to override revenue by an increasing margin.
According to the 2001-2002 EADA, Ball State reported more than $3.5 million in revenue after pulling in more than $2.1 million from football and basketball alone. However, in the same report, it is stated that Ball State spent more than $8.3 million in 2001-2002. Football and basketball totaled more than $4.3 million in expenditures alone.
Of the six teams suggested to be cut, the men's volleyball team is arguably the most successful in recent times. The team went to its 15th NCAA tournament in 2002 after winning its 21st Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association crown and posting a 23-8 record. In 2003, Ball State ended the season ranked No. 13 in the nation and with a 19-9 record.
However, the men's volleyball team was also the most expensive of the six teams, costing the university $55,518 in the 2001-2002 season.
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