A college campus seemingly split. Some at the University of New Orleans are breathing a sigh of relief, while others are dreading what may now come. On Friday, the school got the official okay to move forward with ditching the Sun Belt conference all in hopes of scaling back its athletic department. Those in the athletic know fear the change will dramatically alter UNO for the worst.
Just hours away from their men's basketball game against Southern University, UNO's privateers take in one last practice Friday afternoon. Their fate, yells their coach, is in their hands. But when it comes to the future of UNO athletics, even their reach is limited.
On Friday, The LSU Board of Supervisors, which governs the university, gave the okay for UNO to pursue plans to downsize its athletic program by dropping from an NCAA Division 1 school to a Division 3. The financial savings is estimated at $2.5 million each year.
"Division 3 is a glorified intramural team," said Joe Pasternak, Head Coach for the UNO Men's Basketball team. "So it will dramatically change, I think, how the university will be looked upon."
One of the biggest changes will be a halt on all athletic scholarships--troubling news for groups like the men's swimming and diving team, where about two thirds are either from out of state or out of country. Phillip Graeter is a 19 year old freshman from Germany and says the reason he and many of his fellow teammates came to UNO was because of athletic scholarships.
"I started loving New Orleans and the weather and the Saints," said Graeter. "I don't really want to leave New Orleans, but I have no choice if UNO can't pay for my scholarship anymore."
Non-athletes fear no scholarships would amount to less talented teams.
"So it's kinda going to bring the morale of the school, as far as athletics, on the downhill," said Destin Alexis, a criminal justice sophomore at UNO.
The university predicts just the opposite, with a new emphasis on recruiting locally where the fan base may be stronger.
“To the outside person, to the average spectator, there’s not going to be much difference,” said Mike Rivaulet, UNO Chief Marketing Officer.
In the end, however, UNO admits the change is all about cutting costs, without cutting all of athletics.
"The cost savings come from scholarships, from coach's salaries," said Rivaulet. "Division 1 coach's salaries are very expensive."
Not to mention, he adds, teams would no longer need to fly to play other schools. The change in divisions means UNO would only square up against universities in driving distance--schools in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
Currently as a Division 1 school, UNO should have at least 15 different sports teams, they only have 9. UNO's waiver by the NCAA to be out of compliance expires in a year and a half.
Before the storm, Rivaulet says, UNO had about 17,500 students. Currently the school has about 11,500 students--adding up to a serious decline in student fees which fund athletics.
“The accumulated deficit has reached $5.5 million,” said Rivalet.
As a division 3 school, UNO would have still have to add at least 3 more sports teams. The plan, according to Rivaulet, is to move up the school’s club football, softball, and men's and women's soccer teams.
By February, UNO hopes to submit a plan to the LSU Board Supervisors, detailing how it will transition into the lower Division 3. If approved, the NCAA would then give the school 4 years to fully comply which means any student on an athletic scholarship would be allowed to keep that scholarship until they graduate.
“We will honor that for the duration that they’re here and they will able to compete just as they are now.”
Students would also have the option of transferring schools.
