[Farm93]

Reading between the lines, this was the University deciding it wanted a different balance between athletics and academics at the school.

For me, only a casual fan of the sports cut, what's most deeply frustrating and disappointing is that absolutely no one believes Stanford was straightforward and transparent in its lengthy FAQ on why the decision was made to cut the sports.

I'm normally not a of immense proportions fan of the community meeting to gather input, as those tend to be mostly for show rather than substance. In this circumstance, however, Stanford would have been much better served in the long run by holding some forums to discuss the DAPER financial concerns and at least have coaches/students/alumni present some alternate ideas.

The unspoken reality is that the school is closing in on a sub-4% acceptance rate soon.   However, for those able to run fast or able to shoot, catch, throw or hit a ball the acceptance rate is much, much higher and often includes scholarship money too.  Highly selective universities are bumping into a seemingly endless stream of admissions lawsuits so potentially some things were best left unsaid. 

Still the initial reasons provided just do not seem to be holding up well, and that's on Muir IMO.   The sports selected, the efforts to find funds rather than cut and/or the lack of full transparency all ultimately roll up to Muir.  This might be one of those situations where an executive makes the best call for the university, but that call ultimately must also result in the termination of that very executive for the good of the university.

I feel for the athletes that are currently enrolled that will need to decide between completing their studies at Stanford to get a Stanford degree or transfer to another institution to continue participating in the sport they love.   However for D1 sports the best way to terminate a program is to do it quickly so that the athletes can immediately pursue transfer options without worrying about program loyalty pressures.

[Farm93]

Reading between the lines, this was the University deciding it wanted a different balance between athletics and academics at the school.

For me, only a casual fan of the sports cut, what's most deeply frustrating and disappointing is that absolutely no one believes Stanford was straightforward and transparent in its lengthy FAQ on why the decision was made to cut the sports.

I'm normally not a of immense proportions fan of the community meeting to gather input, as those tend to be mostly for show rather than substance. In this circumstance, however, Stanford would have been much better served in the long run by holding some forums to discuss the DAPER financial concerns and at least have coaches/students/alumni present some alternate ideas.

The unspoken reality is that the school is closing in on a sub-4% acceptance rate soon.   However, for those able to run fast or able to shoot, catch, throw or hit a ball the acceptance rate is much, much higher and often includes scholarship money too.  Highly selective universities are bumping into a seemingly endless stream of admissions lawsuits so potentially some things were best left unsaid. 

Still the initial reasons provided just do not seem to be holding up well, and that's on Muir IMO.   The sports selected, the efforts to find funds rather than cut and/or the lack of full transparency all ultimately roll up to Muir.  This might be one of those situations where an executive makes the best call for the university, but that call ultimately must also result in the termination of that very executive for the good of the university.

I feel for the athletes that are currently enrolled that will need to decide between completing their studies at Stanford to get a Stanford degree or transfer to another institution to continue participating in the sport they love.   However for D1 sports the best way to terminate a program is to do it quickly so that the athletes can immediately pursue transfer options without worrying about program loyalty pressures.