W&M criticized for copying Stanford’s wording in statement
William & Mary’s announcement onSept. 3 that it was cutting seven of its 23 sports is being criticized for its similar, and in places verbatim, wording to a July letter from Stanford University announcing it was cutting 11 sports.
W&M Director of Athletic Samantha K. Huge acknowledged in a statement on Friday that the Sept. 3 communication from her, W&M President Katherine Rowe and W&M Provost Peggy Agouris “clearly fell short of William & Mary’s community standards” because it did not meet the goal to “emulate best practices, not imitate.”
Imitation was evident in numerous paragraphs, including one stating that the endowment needed to fund the programs being cut would be approximately $150 million. The W&M programs to be eliminated after the 2020-21 academic year are: men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and women’s volleyball.
The W&M letter read:
“In fact, even after recognizing the full expense savings resulting from this decision, closing the remaining Athletics structural deficit and ensuring the continued success of our remaining 16 varsity sports programs will itself require greater philanthropic investments and new streams of revenue. We are fully committed to that endeavor.”
Stanford’s announcement, which referred to needing $200 million to fund the 11 sports it is cutting, read: “In fact, even after recognizing the full expense savings resulting from this decision, closing the remaining athletics structural deficit and ensuring the continued success of our remaining 25 varsity sports programs will itself require garnering resources that exceed that amount, and we are fully committed to that endeavor.”
W&M’s wording in a questions-and-answers section about the fate of the sports to be cut during this school year also read similar to Stanford’s.
W&M: “All student-athletes who elect to remain on their team’s roster for the upcoming 2020-21 campaign will continue to have access to the full complement of academic, medical, performance and coaching services, provided that they remain in good standing under NCAA, CAA and William & Mary rules and that
circumstances related to COVID-19 allow.”
Stanford: “All student-athletes who elect to remain on their team’s roster for the upcoming 2020-21 campaign will continue to have access to the full complement of academic, medical, performanceandcoachingservices to which they have become accustomed, provided they remain in good standing under NCAA, Stanford Athletics and Stanford University rules.”
Similar wording to Stanford’s was again used in the W&M announcement regarding the finality of the cuts
W&M: “The decisions to reduce our sports offerings are final, and any future philanthropic gifts intended for these sports may be directed towards supporting scholarships and existing programs to help promote the future success and financial sustainability of W&M Athletics. While William & Mary Athletics has many generous donors, their support simply could not cover the escalating costs of ensuring excellence across the board for our 23 sports.”
Stanford: “The decisions to reduce our sports offerings are final, and any future philanthropic interest in these sports may be directed towards supporting them at the club level, should they establish as a club sport after their 2020-21 varsity campaign. While Stanford Athletics has many tremendously generous donors, their support simply could not cover the escalating costs of ensuring excellence across the board in our 36-sport model.”
Huge said in her statement Friday that as W&M preparedtoannounceitsathletic cuts, it consulted with professional colleagues and peers at Stanford, among other places.
“Upon reflection, we should have taken more care with the review of the materials we shared with our community,” she said. “At the end of the day, regardless of the drafting process, I take responsibility and we will do better.
“Above all, the goal was to convey respect to those most directly affected. I regret very much that we did not meet that goal.”
Huge on Friday also addressed those in the W&M community who want more information about how and why the sports were cut.
“In the coming weeks we will share, with more transparency, our process and the data that led us to our decision regarding Division I athletics,” said Huge, who was not immediately available for comment Monday.