Dr Ayers, Mr Miller,
I want to thank you for giving me an audience. I know this must be difficult.
I am speaking today as a parent of a UR Student Athlete, and as a 17 year member of the UR community, about which I care deeply. I have no privileged information about this decision, or the process through which it was arrived at. Nor do I have a question for either of you. Instead, I would like to make a brief statement that I believe reflects the hundreds or thousands who feel that the decision to substitute Lacrosse for soccer and track was a mistake.
I do not believe that this is about GPAs, SATs, field space, student athlete ratios, recruiting demographics, multi-culturism, recent soccer and track successes, or the possibility future National Championships in Lacrosse. While these all may have played a small part in the decision, they serve now to deflect us away from the central question, and that is: What was the impetus for UR to turn its back on decades of Alumni and 55 of its own Students in favor of an unknown entity?
It is very unusual for a University to drop one men’s sport and add another. Sports are often dropped for budget reasons, or to meet the provisions of Title IX. However, this decision was not made for either of these reasons. It appears that the Board of Trustees is saying: “We simply want them more that we want you”.
I stand before you with the unshakable belief that, without the persistent efforts of a small number of wealthy and influential board members, this would never have happened. I find it sad and even troubling that important decisions at our school are for sale to the highest bidder. While that may be the way of the world, is does not need to be the way of our world.
I believe that we have reached a critical mass of good people who feel that the driving force behind this decision and the process by which it was arrived at are not worthy of The University of Richmond. I respectfully request that this decision be re-examined, and that options for reinstating our soccer and track programs be re-explored.
Thank you
Peter Albright
Father of Men’s Soccer player Timmy Albright ‘15
I want to thank you for giving me an audience. I know this must be difficult.
I am speaking today as a parent of a UR Student Athlete, and as a 17 year member of the UR community, about which I care deeply. I have no privileged information about this decision, or the process through which it was arrived at. Nor do I have a question for either of you. Instead, I would like to make a brief statement that I believe reflects the hundreds or thousands who feel that the decision to substitute Lacrosse for soccer and track was a mistake.
I do not believe that this is about GPAs, SATs, field space, student athlete ratios, recruiting demographics, multi-culturism, recent soccer and track successes, or the possibility future National Championships in Lacrosse. While these all may have played a small part in the decision, they serve now to deflect us away from the central question, and that is: What was the impetus for UR to turn its back on decades of Alumni and 55 of its own Students in favor of an unknown entity?
It is very unusual for a University to drop one men’s sport and add another. Sports are often dropped for budget reasons, or to meet the provisions of Title IX. However, this decision was not made for either of these reasons. It appears that the Board of Trustees is saying: “We simply want them more that we want you”.
I stand before you with the unshakable belief that, without the persistent efforts of a small number of wealthy and influential board members, this would never have happened. I find it sad and even troubling that important decisions at our school are for sale to the highest bidder. While that may be the way of the world, is does not need to be the way of our world.
I believe that we have reached a critical mass of good people who feel that the driving force behind this decision and the process by which it was arrived at are not worthy of The University of Richmond. I respectfully request that this decision be re-examined, and that options for reinstating our soccer and track programs be re-explored.
Thank you
Peter Albright
Father of Men’s Soccer player Timmy Albright ‘15
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