Budget cuts force Dartmouth to axe swimming, diving programs

In the pool, Princeton swimming and diving is accustomed to pummeling Dartmouth without much effort. But outside of the pool, Princeton swimmers have nothing but support for their counterparts at Dartmouth, which recently announced that it would eliminate its men's and women's varsity swimming and diving teams after this season.

"It's an unfortunate state of affairs," senior Paul Cremer said. "In the past 10 years men's swimming, especially, has been on the chopping block for various reasons. You really hate to see that come into the Ivy League."

Over the past decade 307 schools have eliminated 150 women's teams and 386 men's teams, most often for budget reallocation but also due to lack of interest and Title IX issues. Swimming — along with wrestling, gymnastics, and track — is among the sports that are most affected.

The Dartmouth decision comes amid college-wide budget cuts of almost $5 million due to endowment depreciation. Because across-the-board athletic cuts in 1990 proved detrimental to all teams, this time Dartmouth decided that it would be better to eliminate one sport entirely.

Swimming was selected, according to a Nov. 25 press release, in part because Dartmouth's swim teams have historically been uncompetitive in the Ivy League — the men's team has not won an Ivy League meet since 1962 — and the teams would allegedly need a new pool, at a cost of over $20 million, in order to become competitive.

The decision will save Dartmouth $212,000 annually. It affects three full-time coaches and one part-time coach, who will be laid off, as well as the Big Green's 53 swimmers, of whom only nine are seniors. Some are now considering transferring.

Meanwhile, prospective swimmers for the class of 2007 are now being encouraged to apply elsewhere, and swimmers admitted early will not be bound to matriculate.

Dartmouth announced its decision with no warning two days before Thankgsiving break. Like the Dartmouth swimmers themselves, Princeton's men's swimming head coach, C. Rob Orr, was shocked to learn of the decision.

"Obviously, swimming being my profession, I see the benefits individuals can gain, [but] I hate to see this for any beneficial activity," he said.

Princeton swimmers were concerned that Dartmouth could set a dangerous precedent by citing its facility as a rationale. Dart-mouth's Karl Michael Pool, built in 1963, was once considered state-of-the-art and even hosted the NCAA meet in 1968. Because it is only 25 yards long, it is now considered substandard for Div. I. Still, it is a unique and historic facility.

"It's an antiquated facility, but that shouldn't be an excuse in my opinion," Orr said. He pointed out that Princeton had a smaller pool than Dartmouth's until 1990, when DeNunzio Pool was completed.

"We don't want other schools dropping their swim team instead of building a new pool," Princeton junior Jeff Yellin said. "[Dartmouth's] is not the worst in the Ivy League."

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

It is not even the oldest – Yale's pool was built in 1932.

Dartmouth's swimmers have widespread support, and not just from the swim community. Dartmouth's student assembly and Alumni Council have both passed resolutions calling for the reversal of the decision, and on-campus protests have drawn up to 600 students.

But perhaps the most creative step thus far has been a tongue-in-cheek attempt to sell the teams on eBay. eBay removed the listing, but not before it drew attention from national media and received six bids, including one which met the reserve.

The Dartmouth swimmers now want to raise enough money to endow the teams on their own. However, while a number of alumni have made sizeable donation offers, it is unclear whether or not Dartmouth's administration will accept the money.

Colleges are often reluctant to accept targeted donations from alumni out of concern that alumni should not dictate the school's priorities. So far, Dartmouth administrators have indicated that they would not accept the donations.

Still, Louis Fidel, captain of the Dartmouth men's team, said on Monday, "I have to be hopeful. I think we have our foot in the door."

Princeton's 1993 decision to cut varsity wrestling was also met with student protests – including a 24-hour "wrestle-a-thon" – as well as vociferous alumni complaints, and there were similar concerns about accepting an alumni endowment. Ultimately, an agreement was reached, similar to what Dartmouth swimmers seek, in which wrestling was kept as a "self-funded" varsity sport. It receives no university funding or admissions support. Men's volleyball and men's water polo are also self-funded varsities.

Though this made it more difficult to recruit wrestlers, Princeton senior Greg Parker did wrestle to second place in the nation last year. Swimming is much more of a numbers game, though, and without full varsity status Dartmouth would likely face even more of an uphill battle than it already does in the Ivy League.

But swimmers say that they didn't choose Dartmouth to win titles.

"I knew that it wasn't a great team," Fidel said. "It's such a tight atmosphere, and the same is true of the Dartmouth student body, and that's why I wanted to come to Dartmouth."

Several hundred miles south, as they finished their dinners at Cloister Inn on Monday, Princeton's swimmers — also a close-knit group — were saying much the same thing.

"Beyond just economic concerns, Dartmouth is going to be missing out on a lot," Cremer said. "Traditionally I think swimmers make great student-athletes. They're great guys, and those guys aren't going to be going to Dartmouth anymore."