The University of Delaware was forced to cancel several athletic events this past weekend due to an outbreak of swine flu on campus, The NCAA News reported. After university officials confirmed four cases of the H1N1 virus, including the flu-like symptoms of a member of the school's baseball team, the school has taken precautionary measures on all off-campus athletic events, according to the University's athletic web site. Both the University's baseball and softball teams were unable to reschedule the missed matchups. The baseball team, set to play the University of North Carolina at Wilmington will continue its season campaign with a single game next Friday. The softball team's cancelled weekend contests were the last games of the regular season. The Delaware Open track meet was also cancelled, and the University's rowing team will not participate in the upcoming Eastern College Athletic Conference Metro Championships.
The University of Washington recently announced plans to cut its men's and women's swimming programs, according to the Associated Press. Due the economic downturn, the athletic department was forced to slash $2.8 million from its budget. Although the swimming programs has a well-established history, recent lackluster performances and the lack of an on-campus venue spurred the athletic department's decision, the Associated Press reported. The school added that cutting the swimming programs could save about $1.2 million annually. The University, however, stated that it will honor existing scholarship commitments, and permit athletes to transfer to other schools. Next year, the Pac-10 conference will have only five men's and eight women's swimming teams. In 2002, Dartmouth made a highly controversial decision to cut its swimming programs. Due to protests from students and alumni, the programs were promptly reinstated the following year, according to a previous article in The Dartmouth.
The University of the New Orleans' student body has voted against paying more tuition to support athletic programs at the university, according to The Times-Picayune. In a close decision, 53 percent of students voted against shouldering some of the athletic budget. The school previously proposed to increase its students' tuition by $8 per class hour. School officials now hope that state legislatures will give extra funding for the University's athletic programs, the Times-Picayune reported. The school's chancellor, Tim Ryan, stressed that without an adequate budget overhaul, the University's Division-I programs will be at risk for cancellation.
