Budget Cuts Not A Major Obstacle

Just about every media outlet, from international newspapers to niche blogs, is having a field day writing about the so-called hard-hitting effects of Harvard’s budget cuts—no omelets for students, no cookies for faculty, and of course, no more free sweatsuits for all athletes.

Some accounts delve deeply into the effects on education and university life as a whole, while others simply dissect the notion of privilege for the fun of it.

We get it. The sharp economic downturn barely scratches the surface of the Harvard bubble when you compare it to “real” problems.

Let’s go back to athletics for a minute, as this subset of the greater Harvard population seems to be one of the most impacted. Changes that inconvenience all of us are of particular significance to athletes.

Of course, no hot breakfast means reduced protein without going Rocky style on the hard-boiled eggs, and revised shuttle schedules make the trip across the chilly Charles more treacherous.

But since the well-known heather gray DHAs are so coveted and symbolic around campus, they seem to be getting most of the attention.

However, just as they have with FAS, budget cuts have hit the entire athletics department, not just the sweater order form. What else is going on across the river?

For one, there is a pecking order within our 41 varsity sports programs. Our high-profile programs aren’t going anywhere, but they are certainly noticing visible changes.

“A few of us are definitely being affected by these cuts,” said senior Crimson running back Cheng Ho. “There’s no more hot breakfast, and a few of our guys lost a lot of weight because of that.”

Behind closed doors, members of the administration remain busy determining which areas the cuts will manifest themselves in. The Department of Athletics administrative staff, rightfully, seems exasperated when yet another obnoxious journalist (me) calls with prodding, budget-related inquiries.

Through carefully-crafted questions that were designed to derive valuable information from responses such as “no,” “I don’t know,” and “we can’t answer that,” I was able to get somewhere.

Though teams of all sizes have endured reduced travel budgets, the Athletic Department confirmed that one important aspect of team sports has remained largely intact—the schedules. For the most part, teams aren’t foregoing good competition to save dollars. It hasn’t come to that.

Unfortunately, the same is not entirely true for individual sports. Programs such as women’s tennis are sending less players to individual competitions than they used to.

We have to be able to take some sizable losses. Budget cuts have hit athletic departments hard across the country, and we don’t have it as bad as some. Schools are experiencing hikes in ticket prices, changes in facilities and fields, and most importantly, large-scale layoffs and salary reductions.

I came across a blog called Ultimate Sports Insider (www.ultimatesportsinsider.com) which outlines budget cuts in various athletic programs nationwide. It is run by Michael Cross, who is Executive Associate Director of Athletics at Princeton.

Cross provides information on how to absorb financial hits, how to fundraise, and how to run programs more efficiently.

One blog entry highlights New Mexico State, as its program called on fans and donors to provide evening snacks for its football team. This community-oriented example is just one of many strategies found on the site.

Returning to our downsizing efforts, one unexpected change in our program seems to have had a positive result. Students were blindsided when JV basketball, baseball, and ice hockey were cut last year and turned into club sports. However, some seem to think they are thriving as student-run entities.

“People are more involved and care more,” said senior Justin Hall, who is Vice President of Men’s Club Basketball. “Because its student-run, we’re more proactive in getting games, we have longer seasons, more practices. It’s something that we control.”

Competition is maintained, as the team plays against the same opponents that it did before. Because of its openness, there will likely be increased variety in its schedule in the coming months.

While not all transitions are so smooth, Harvard athletics must adapt to the best of its ability. Far from flashy to begin with, as long as maintaining healthy competition and high morale across Crimson teams remains a priority, we should be okay with a few less sweaters.

—Staff writer Justin W. White can be reached at jwwhite@fas.harvard.edu.