No Cuts

THE COLLEGE has decided that sports programs are more important than sports facilities. Because of that decision, made by the Board of Trustees this summer, no intercollegiate teams will be eliminated as originally anticipated. "We recommended to the Board of Trustees that we give up our facilities component in the Campaign for Dartmouth," says Director of Athletics Seaver Peters. "They accepted the proposal that the $2 million be used instead as an endowment for the overall program."

The Dartmouth Athletic Council is faced with budgetary problems primarily because of the explosion of women's athletics at the College. The federal Title IX law requires equal athletic programs and facilities for men and women. The College gave the DCAC a special injection of $1OO,OOO to be in compliance with the law this year, but the figure declines over the next three years until it disappears in 1982-83. Although no sports programs were to be cut this year, elimination of teams would have been inevitable in the future.

The DCAC presented the trustees with three recommendations: the first was giving up the facilities component; the second would have set up a sophisticated fund- raising effort for the DCAC; and the third would have been the reconsideration of the declining injection of extra funds. The trustees were also given a list of the sports for potential cutting. The trustees selected the first option.

"Program is our number one priority," says Peters. "Clearly, we won't have to cut program, which is good. But the most important thing is that President Kemeny and the trustees are very supportive of athletics in the broader sense. The trustees have backed athletics as a top priority."

Eliminated by the trustees' decision is a multi-purpose building for basketball courts, handball and racketball courts, plus additional shower and locker space. Including funds for operation and maintenance, it would have cost $2 million. Spared will be $300,000 to provide critically needed women's lockers. A year after the Campaign for Dartmouth is finished, the DCAC is expected to return to the Board of Trustees to see if there are funds available for new facilities. "It was never an either-or situation," says Peters. "Program is number one, and we'll make do with our existing facilities."