The Univ. at Buffalo will "eliminate four sports teams at the end of this school year in a belt-tightening" that ultimately will save $2M a year in athletic department spending, according to Mark Gaughan of the BUFFALO NEWS. Men’s soccer, men’s swimming and diving, baseball and women’s rowing "no longer will be sponsored." UB President Satish Tripathi said, "The unfortunate reality is that we no longer have the resources to support 20 competitive Division I athletic teams. I know that this is a difficult day for our student athletes, our coaches and the entire athletics program and university." The cuts "bring UB’s sports teams down to 16," the minimum number required to compete at the FBS level. UB’s athletic department budget for the '15-16 school year was $31.9M, which ranked third in the 12-team MAC. The cuts can be "viewed as an attempt by UB to rein in the subsidy the university provides the athletic department." UB said that the decisions on what programs to cut were "based on program costs, athletics facilities, Title IX, geographic location and a comparison of sports sponsored by the MAC." The reduction "affects 120 students currently on team rosters." UB said that it will "honor the scholarships of all affected student athletes" (BUFFALO NEWS, 4/4). Tripathi said that it "could take three to four years" to see the $2M in savings anticipated from cutting the four sports. He "did not expect the remaining 16 UB sports team to generate enough revenue to cover their costs." Tripathi: "It's not going to be really a moneymaker. There's always going to be a subsidy" (BUFFALO NEWS, 4/4). The BUFFALO NEWS' Gaughan in a front-page piece writes UB "paid a price for competing at the top level of college athletics" (BUFFALO NEWS, 4/4).
