Will some varsity programs be eliminated?

By STEPHANIE DESMON and JONATHAN MAYO In the wake of Governor Robert Casey's budget proposal, which ignored Penn's request for $41.2 million in state appropriations, the question for members of the Penn athletic community is no longer if these cuts will affect the Quaker sports program, but how. With Cornell's recent plan to discontinue certain varsity programs in order to save funds, Penn athletic personnel are concerned about the future of similar Penn programs. Cornell officials said they will eliminate men's and women's fencing, men's and women's gymnastics and freshman football by the fall of 1993. "[Casey's proposal] sends the message that we've got to tighten our belts," Penn gymnastics coach Tom Kovic said. "We're all in it together. Every department will be affected." Kovic expressed additional concern over what effect Cornell's announcement might mean to Penn's athletic program, especially his gymnastics team. The elimination of Cornell's fencing and gymnastics programs will save approximately $116,000 over two years. Reductions in university funding for other sports will total $267,000. Carolyn Schlie Femovich, Penn senior associate athletic director, said last week she has not been informed of what the athletic department's budget will look like, but she expects it to reflect Casey's proposed budget cuts. "Without a doubt, we're all going to feel some impact," Femovich said. "We could be in Cornell's position but I hope not." While no definite cuts have been made, Femovich outlined criteria the department would use in determining which, if any, programs would be cut. The number of student-athletes impacted, the money spent on the program, the tradition and success at Penn, and the sport's recruitment potential are among criteria considered in such a decision, Femovich said. Femovich added the amount of revenue produced by a team is not considered, because even "revenue-producers" like men's basketball and football do not pay for themselves. Femovich said recreational activities and intramural sports will not be cut because of the efficiency of the programs and the amount of students involved. While Femovich could not specify what the Athletic Department's plan will be, coaches like Kovic worry that, like at Cornell, their programs will be greatly hampered, if not cut entirely. "[Gymnastics] is the most popular sport being dropped," Kovic said. "If one institution goes with gymnastics, maybe another institution will go with the same sport. I was always taught to assume the worst." And while Femovich admitted that cutting programs is "the last resort . . . [gymnastics] could be a sport that's in jeopardy." Kovic cited the importance of his program to the life of the student-athletes on the gymnastics team. "The strength and philosophy of this institution is providing total education -- be it fraternities, sororities, the debate club or the gymnastics team," he said. "Granted, there comes a time when you can't provide more than you can sustain, but the importance of that totality needs to be sustained." Kovic added he is confident Penn officials, who he said have supported the gymnastics program well during Kovic's five-year tenure at Penn, will be able to get the funding restored. But Kovic also realized these officials will need help to accomplish this goal. "I'm a team player," he said. "I'm willing to do what it takes to get the department back to where it wants to be financially. It's going to be a team thing. It's not just the [gymnastics team], it's all those involved in supporting Pennsylvania gymnastics." But, he added, there are constraints on whatever fundraising projects would be undertaken. "We can't just go out there and spin cartwheels for nickels and dimes on the street," Kovic said. "[There is] an 'Ivy image' we need to uphold and I respect that." The gymnastics program Kovic hopes to continue has been one of Penn's consistent sports success stories, winning the Ivy League title last season and contending for it again in 1992. Budget crunches are not new to Penn sports. Last year, the decision was made to discontinue the freshman football program as of 1993 in order to cut down costs. According to Kovic, such decisions are based on financial considerations. "The bottom line is money," Kovic said. "It's big business out there. They're looking from a cost-effective standpoint." "[The Athletic Department] has been biting the bullet, no doubt," he added. "And we're not just talking about problems of programs dropping in the Ivy League. We're looking at programs that are being cut throughout the country." "When is it going to stop?" Kovic asked. "When will people come up with solutions to save these programs or reinstate old programs?" For coaches like Kovic, whose programs may fall by the wayside because of budgetary constraints, solutions cannot come soon enough.

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