Students, faculty and alumni at Eastern Michigan University are trying to come up with a alternative that will avoid cutting four sports programs at the school.
They were at a town hall that was held Thursday night.
The school is facing a deficit and cut the four programs to save money. The students in the cut programs were notified Monday night.
The university is trying to make up a deficit between 4 and 5-million-dollars for the 2018 fiscal year. And they’re doing it where it hurts most -- the student athletes hearts.
Some of the faculty and alumni say they want the university to focus more on education and the students needs, not cutting sports the student athletes love.
More than 40 other positions are being eliminated, and 17 layoffs are planned. Cutting softball, men’s swimming and diving, wrestling, and women’s tennis is going to hurt nearly 100 student athletes.
Faculty say they see the problem, but the university should zero its eyes on what the students want and EMU’s future.
But the school says the cuts are a budget realignment to improve the school for the better and prepare for the future.
EMU says cutting the four sports will save the university roughly 2.4-million-dollars. The other few million to erase the deficit with come from personnel cuts.
