Florida Int'l Univ. Will Cut Athletics Budget By More Than $1M

Student-Athlete Support Will Not Be Affected By FIU's Athletic Budget Cuts

Florida Int'l Univ. (FIU) yesterday announced the athletics department "would cut more than $1[M] from its budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1," according to Pete Pelegrin of the MIAMI HERALD. FIU AD Pete Garcia said the budget cuts "will include significant layoffs within the department." Garcia "did not want to say how many layoffs or how much each FIU sport would have to cut from its budget until a plan is finalized." The FIU athletic budget for the coming FY now is "expected to be" near $22M. One area the cuts "will not affect is FIU's student-athlete academic support and compliance." Garcia said that the school's sports teams' performances "will not be affected by the budget cuts." Garcia added that FIU Stadium, which is "expected to begin Phase 2 of its development in the next few years, will also not be affected by the new athletic budget plans" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/25).