My condolences go out to the UD men's runners, throwers and jumpers. This message board is headed in the wrong direction though. There is too much talk of title ix. And from what I have seen about this situation, title ix is merely a scapegoat, a curtain for the administration to hide their bashful faces behind. There has never been a documented complaint against the UD athletic department due to 'gender equity', nor was there threat of a complaint in the immediate future. Two years ago, the indoor team was reclassified and women's golf was set to begin in the ensuing years.
The university had already shown progressive action towards gender equity. The reasons for these cuts appear to be completely financial in nature. In a ruse by administration, all blame is being shifted to the reverse discrimination legislation that is title ix. In a time when the University of Delaware is supposedly expanding toward a brighter future, cutting teams that are renowned as academic powerhouses is the last thing to do. They often have a majority of the team on the academic honor roll and also had the men's xc scholar athlete of the year in the caa this season.
If you have read thus far into my rant, please do one more thing: email Patrick Harker (harker@udel.edu), the university president, and express your disgust with this movement. It will have no affect on the standing of the program but it may help the truth come out: that title ix is not the overriding force of this decision.