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As a part of a proposal that each institution had to submit because of proposed budget cuts, there was plan for approximately $1 million in cuts to the Georgia Southern athletics department.
Before getting alarmed, students must realize the budget cut is only a proposal.
The athletics department could lose any amount from nothing, to less than a million dollars, to more than a million dollars.
“There’s still a great deal of conversation still to be had within the state system and within the Board of Regents,” said Athletic Director Sam Baker. “Perhaps they won’t come to fruition.”
The proposed $1 million budget cut is 12 percent of the Georgia Southern athletics department.
Even for the department with a constant revenue stream like athletics, if the cut were to occur, it would be a serious blow to the department.
In an economy as bad as this one, it would take some time to make up the lost funds.
According to Baker, revenue streams from ticket sales, athletic events, fundraisers and the support from The Eagle Fund may help make up for any cuts that are approved.
“My staff already works very hard to generate the revenue we currently generate,” said Baker. “It [a budget cut] would mean an even more concentrated effort.”
How would budget cuts affect recruiting? As of now, it still remains to be seen, but a reduction of that size would definitely have a “dramatic impact” on the operations of the department.
“I have nothing concrete as of right now,” said Baker. “Until you know a number it’s hard to sit down and project anything definite.”
In a faculty forum on March 1, GSU President Brooks Keel said that the proposed budget cuts could threaten the status of the university as an NCAA Division I school.
Baker said that the threat to drop out of Division I is not in the foreseeable future.
“We’re a Division I program,” said Baker. “It is our goal and the goal of everyone in our program to be a strong Division I program. [Dropping out of the SoCon] That’s a worst of worst-case scenarios. That would be a Doomsday type [scenario]. I think we’re a long way from that right now.”
Before the budget cut ideas, GSU’s athletics program was working towards moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
According to Baker, the department is leaving that discussion for a future day and is focusing on what the program needs to do now in order to continue being strong at the championship level.
There are many rumors going around about the future of the program, but Baker said that the GSU athletic department will remain concerned with keeping a strong program whether the potential cuts become a reality or not.
“If this potential cut of a million dollars came about, we would work to try and make up those funds as hard as we could,” said Baker. “But we also want to stay a Division I playing university. That’s going to be our main focus.”
Many people have been concerned and asked questions all around campus about what is happening concerning budgets cuts. As for the athletics department, the staff is more focused on keeping their programs strong rather than on the potential budget cuts.
Baker said, “My coaches have asked no more questions than probably people throughout the campus.”
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