Yuba College intercollegiate athletics suffered the loss of the men’s and women’s golf teams last year. Rod Beilby, the Yuba College Athletic Director, stated that with the exception of the men’s and women’s golf teams, the athletic department is no worse than it was seven years ago. He continued to say that the costs to run Yuba college’s athletic programs increases each year while the budget for the athletic department has not increased.Beilby noted that when the budget ax fell on the athletic department, he made the decision to cut the golf programs completely rather than a line item cut to all the athletic programs. He said that the golf teams had a relatively low enrollment in proportion to costs when compared to Yuba college’s other athletic programs. One program not cut, because it does not exist, is wrestling. Many students in the local high schools, as well as students that are currently attending our college, have asked why Yuba College does not have a wrestling team. Beilby stated that he is not sure when the wrestling team at Yuba college was cut, but that there had not been one since he became Athletic Director seven years ago. He said that Title 9 might possibly have had something to do it. According to Title 9 schools are required to offer programs that are proportionate to the gender ratio of the student body.
Other students have been concerned about Yuba College’s Olympic-sized swimming pools that are not in use. Beilby said that at the time they were used, the maintenance and operation cost for the college was very high.
The pools were built prior to proposition 13, and the state-of-the-art facilities were probably more overbuilt than manageable. Beilby also explained that to bring the pools up to standards would cost between $500,000 and $700,000.
He did note that it would be nice to to be able to use the pools as they would be a nice attraction to both students and the public at large.With the current budget situation of Yuba college, it is not likely there will be any progress in expanding Yuba college’s intercollegiate athletics.
Beilby said that if more cuts had to be made to the athletic department, he would probably have to look into cutting the athletic programs with the fewest members, such as the cross-country and tennis teams before making line item cuts to the entire intercollegiate athletic program.
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