The task force commissioned to "generate methods for revamping Cal’s financially strapped athletic department made eight recommendations" yesterday, but "failed to agree on the hot-button issue of cutting entire sports programs," according to Rusty Simmons of the S.F. CHRONICLE. With Cal's athletic department having lost about $22M last year and the school facing debt of at least $400M related to the renovation of Memorial Stadium, it was "widely believed that the department would be advised to delete some sports programs." Instead the task force made "eight vague recommendations." Cal Chancellor Nicholas Dirks and Chancellor-designate Carol Christ, who will take over officially in July, suggest in a joint statement that "no final decisions will be made until the leadership transition is complete." They said that the school hopes to "immediately implement one of the task force’s recommendations: an independent review of the athletic department’s operations and finances" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/6). In San Jose, Jon Wilner notes the third-party review is "considered by the task force to be an essential step before any decisions are made on cutting sports -- and campus leadership seems to be in agreement." Whether the "'budgetary pain' that athletics endures ultimately includes the elimination of sports -- Cal has 30 teams, more than any public school in the Pac-12 conference -- apparently will be left to Christ." Cal's reported deficit last year will "experience comparable bleeding this year." The task force’s report noted that even if Cal were to downsize to 14 teams -- the NCAA minimum -- the "savings might be limited" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 6/6).
