Have you heard of Sonoma State University’s (SSU) budget deficit? On Jan. 22, SSU announced their $23.9 million financial loss. This cut has cost SSU approximately 130 faculty members and mass amounts of liquidations from programs and majors. The most notable being SSU’s decision to remove their entire intercollegiate athletics program. The community at SSU was hit hard because of this recent announcement.
SSU stated that this is mainly due to its decrease in student enrollment. Their highest enrollment occurred in 2015 and has decreased by 38% since. Some also speculate that the new and renovated buildings, such as the Stevenson Hall, could have been a part of the deficit, as these renovations costed them $90 million.
A big reason many people enroll at SSU is for their sports and the benefits they come with. Two big aspects of their sports were the school spirit and community. The school spirit at SSU is most supported by the sports games. From volleyball to basketball, the sports games were always well attended and cheered for. Many teams are coming together to see what will happen next for them as players and friends. Student athletes were assured that their scholarships will still be upheld as long as they keep up with the guidelines of the scholarship.
With numerous SSU students outraged by this, they have started to take action. On social media you can see varying opinions and posts, commenting on SSUs recent actions. Locally there have been billboards advertising “#saveseawolvesathetics” and news agencies such as The Press Democrat and their very own Sonoma State Star all trying to gain attention and garner support. They have been giving the worried students of SSU live updates and a place to speak out. Time will tell whether SSU’s decisions will help make the comeback they need to stay afloat.
